Cruelly Committed
by Mizzle fo' Rizzle
Summary: Her mind is committed to one man, but her heart aches for another. Totally AU, set in teens
1. Chapter 1

**Cruelly Committed**

Rated: T...PG-13...Yeah.

Summary: Her mind is committed to one man, but her heart aches for another.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, except the story. I don't think I even have enough money to buy JJ's shoes. Yeah, I'm serious! But everything belongs to Bad Robot, Touchstone, ABC, and all those other companies that own Alias.

Author's Note: Another Alias fic! Oh, they're all lovely, and after reading Aryn's (soccerfreak324) stories, I was motivated! And, oh yes, read her story, Close Encounters, it kicks ass. And much thanks to her too, she yelled at me to get this story up. :D Enjoy!

* * *

"You ready, Syd?"

"Uh, yeah," Sydney mumbled as she stopped staring at a certain picture of her boyfriend. He was the man she'd always dreamed of, sweet and caring—at least half of the time. Ever since she met him during her sophomore year, she learned quickly that he was always on trips with his family, sometimes during the school year and always the whole entire summer. Her sister, Nadia, and her closest friends, Will and Francie, believed by now that she should have moved on. But whenever he came home, Sydney always caved, falling for his charm. And who was the guy that had Sydney's heart? None other than Noah Hicks.

"Well then you better hurry it up already, Eric is waiting downstairs!" Nadia groaned as she could just hear Eric Weiss yelling from the living room downstairs. Sydney sighed, taking one last glance at the picture then getting off the bed to grab her purse and follow Nadia as the sisters went downstairs to join Weiss.

"Finally!" He shouted to no one in particular as he gathered his keys and got off the couch. "I'm the one driving tonight, and I was going to leave both of you behind."

"Shutup Weiss," Sydney growled before she playfully smacked him upside the head.

"Ow!" He whined as his lips turned into a frown, all while rubbing the back of his head. "Nadia!"

"I would have done the exact same thing, now lets get going before this becomes a cat fight," Nadia said with a chuckle as Eric shot her a look, before all three headed out to his car. They got in, and started off towards their destination, a hockey arena.

"So yeah, I wanted to leave early not because to impress you ladies, well, maybe," He started off. "But also there's a new player on the team, starting immediately at center. He was at the practices, but since I happened to be sick," He looked towards Nadia who could only show a grin. "I have no clue how good he is, but the coach must love him to start him so soon."

"What about Will? He's on the team, too, and he wasn't 'sick,'" Nadia asked while her grin turned towards a smirk at her words.

"Well, Will's been to the practices, but he just said that this guy kicks ass. And you both should know that I believe him more than anyone."

Nadia shot him a look that Sydney nearly busted out laughing at. "Weiss, word of advice, never say that again." She advised him.

"Why?" He asked while taking a look in his rear view mirror at Sydney, then at Nadia. He caught her look and smiled innocently. "Got it."

"Alright, we're here," He announced proudly while looking for a parking space in the crammed lot of the very large ice hockey building. "Good lord! How many games are there tonight?"

"Looks like a lot," Sydney obviously said, as she scanned around to find a parking spot. Weiss saw one, taking the spot before any other cars decided to own it for the evening. They all exited his car, the two girls waiting as he grabbed his hockey gear out of the trunk.

Going to the hockey games was a tradition for the three. Sydney and Nadia always went with Will and Francie, and when Weiss moved to Los Angeles, he was immediately brought into their group. There were games Tuesday and Saturday for Weiss and Will's team during the summer, and the girls vowed to attend each and every one.

Once they were inside, Sydney felt relived at the clothes she had on. Being looked at like she was insane out in the street in pants, a long sleeve shirt, and jack in ninety degree weather wasn't considered right in Los Angeles, but every time she went into the arena, she fit in with everyone else.

"We're playing on Rink 2A tonight, see you two later," Weiss informed them as he headed off to the locker rooms. Sydney and Nadia went to the rink which he told them, and saw Francie at a table, drinks and food already in front of her.

"Thank you!" Sydney and Nadia said almost instantly as they ran over to meet their friend. Francie turned to the two sisters and smiled, hugging them both.

"I thought I would take over the drinks and food tonight, but I'm actually surprised, you guys are here fifteen minutes before the game starts! It's a record!" Francie said while laughing, as the other two began to laugh. "Did you have to light a fire under his ass to get him going?"

"Nope," Sydney grinned as she took a seat, taking a Pepsi. "Weiss said he wanted to come early, guess it was something with the new player he talked about on the way here."

"Oh!" Francie piped up. "Will told me about this guy, said he has skills of a pro, and comes from France."

"So the French have better hockey players then us?" Nadia asked, her eyebrow rising.

"You never know, but that's all Will would say."

"Let's hope he's good," Nadia said as the game just before theirs came to an end, and new players began skating out onto the ice. "What number is he?" She asked while looking to Sydney.

Francie thought for a minute. "Gosh, Will told me!" She said, completely frustrated. "Oh, wait, I think he's number 27."

"There," Sydney pointed '#27' out.

"Wow! And he's _very_ hot!" Francie noted as the guy didn't have his helmet on yet.

"Francie!" Sydney laughed while playfully shoving her friend in the arm. "You have Will, remember that now."

"Doesn't mean I can't keep a look out," Francie grinned. Something clicked in her mind and she immediately beamed, turning towards Sydney. "How about you talk to him first? Since, of course, Noah is always gone."

"What are you implying Fran?" Sydney growled. "My wedding already?"

"Of course," Francie joked. "But since Nadia is with Weiss, and you are technically single, maybe,"

Sydney cut her off, not wanting to hear anymore. "I'm not single, Francie! Noah is just...gone. Okay? He's a really sweet guy."

"Right, when he's around," The other two replied sarcastically. Sydney looked at Nadia, surprised, before they all jumped at the same time, due to Will and him banging on the glass.

"Will!" Francie shrieked, and he grinned at her. "You are so getting your ass kicked tonight!" She yelled to where he could hear it over the glass barrier.

"I just wanted to say hi!" He showed a fake frown.

"Hi honey!" She mocked, grinning at his impression. "Good luck."

"Oh, we're good; we've already kicked this team's ass before, twice!" He said, holding up two fingers to prove his point.

"Don't get too cocky now, Will," Sydney warned.

"No need to worry Syd!" Will assured her with a smile before taking off down the ice.

"Show off," Francie mumbled loud enough to where the other two could hear it, and they all laughed.

"Game's starting!" Nadia mentioned as all three began to watch the hockey game.

Sydney couldn't help but to not take her eyes off of the mysterious number 27 as he proved his skills on the ice. She thought that God just put him in this world to play hockey, since the man was a pro at it. He seemed to have superior offensive and defensive skills.

"That offer will still happen," Francie said, snapping Sydney out of her trance.

Sydney groaned. "Fran," She mumbled before turning her attention back to the game, just in time to see where number 27 had the puck, quickly advancing down the ice, with no help from his teammates, they were taken out seconds ago. He pulled a move on the defender, skating closer to the goalie as he shot, the puck flying past the goalie into the net. The rest of the team joined the guy, congratulating him on his goal.

"Goal scored ten minutes and thirty seconds into the game by number 27, Michael Vaughn!"

"Michael Vaughn," Nadia said, taking a look at Francie who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Michael Vaughn," Francie repeated. "The name of your mystery man," She teased while looking at Sydney.

"My mystery man?" Sydney asked, momentarily stunned by what her friend said.

"Uh huh," Francie nodded, and then went back to watching the game.

By the time the game was over, Will had been right, they dominated the other team, winning the game 7-1. Weiss felt a tang of disappointment; he tried to go for his second shutout of his life, but didn't meet it.

"Alright guys," The coach began. "Great game tonight. Weiss, outstanding job, Vaughn, very good start, glad to have you apart of the team. Everyone be at practice tomorrow morning, normal time," He finished, leaving the locker room.

"Hey, Mike!" Will called out to the other side of the locker room, catching Michael Vaughn's attention.

"What's up?" He replied while taking his shoulder gear off, and took off his sweaty shirt to put a clean one on.

"Want to join in with me, Weiss, and a couple of our friends at a sports place tonight?" Will asked, Weiss looking up briefly when his name was called out, and then he went to getting off all of his goalie equipment in the process.

"Sure," Michael said while he finally got off all his gear, and began placing the equipment into his bag.

"Alright," Will grinned and finished getting all of his stuff packed up.

Five minutes later, the three guys left the locker room, all carrying their bags, towards the girls that anxiously waited.

"Great job guys!" All three said at once.

The guys nodded and smiled, as Will went up to Francie to give her a huge, sweaty hug.

"Will!" Francie yelled, punching his arm as she struggled in his arms. He let her down and grinned.

"Eh em, as you three probably know now, this is Michael Vaughn," Will said, pointing to Michael who smiled nervously at the three. "This is Francie, Nadia, and Sydney," He said, pointing to the three once he said their names. Michael nodded, shaking their hands.

"Okay now that introductions are over—thank God, let's eat!" Weiss announced with a smirk on his face. "I'm fricking starving."

Everyone agreed with him, and headed outside.

"Mike, you know where LA Sports Town Restaurant is?" Weiss asked.

"Not really, haven't been around LA much since I came here," Michael answered.

"Alright, you can tail me," Weiss said as Michael nodded, parting off to go to his vehicle. Weiss, Sydney, and Nadia headed to Weiss's car, as Will and Francie left in Will's car.

"So, Syd, what'd you think of Mike?" Weiss asked as he got out of his spot, waiting for Michael to drive up behind him. Once Michael did, Weiss started off to the restaurant.

"Are you all just against me today?" Sydney asked, growling softly as she sank down further in her seat when her cheeks began to turn a shade of red.

"How much did you and Francie do to her?" He asked in Nadia's direction, and all she could do was giggle in response.

The rest of the car ride to the restaurant they talked about the game, and Weiss having to brag on about how he is the best damn goalie in Los Angeles. They arrived at the restaurant, soon after leaving the hockey arena, and both girls seemed to say the same thanks to God as they didn't have to hear Weiss talk on and on.

"Damn man! Nice truck you got there!" Weiss complimented Michael as he got out, noticing Michael's Ford truck. Michael laughed, following the three inside to the busy restaurant to see Will and Francie already getting a booth.

"Is this the rest of the party?" The waitress asked as she grabbed the menus off the stand.

Will nodded, and they all followed the waitress as she led them to a booth in the heart of the restaurant. They all took their seats, and it ending up with Sydney in the middle of Francie and Michael. He was nervous, not only that he had just made new friends, but also because of the beautiful brunette sitting to his left. She had been relatively quiet compared to the other two girls, and very tense. He could only notice because they were packed in the booth and they were in contact. He was momentarily thrown out of his thoughts when Will began to talk to him.

"So, Mike, how'd you end up in LA?" Will asked, right after the waiter got their drinks and appetizers.

"Well, I moved here from France about a month ago. My mom and I would make visits to family around here, and then she decided that we were going to move about six months ago. I really wasn't surprised with her decision, every time she came here; she liked the city more and more. Pus, I think we both really needed a culture change, and we did get one."

Everyone laughed, and conversations continued. The guys ended up watching a baseball game that was on one of the many big screens while the girls talked about random things. All their attention was diverted when the food and drinks came.

Once they were done with their dinner, Will and Francie said their goodbyes and left the group.

"Oh God," Nadia mumbled to Sydney as they walked out of the restaurant, realizing something she forgot about most of the evening. Eric and Michael followed along behind them.

"What?" Sydney turned to her sister as they stopped walking once they stepped outside.

"Me and Weiss were going to go to the movies," She sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Don't worry," Sydney reassured her with a smile. "I can walk home from here."

"What?" Nadia shot her a questioning look. "Walk? Night? LA? Sydney? No!"

Weiss cut in between the two. "So, what's happening with my two lovely ladies?"

"Weiss, just tell Nadia that I'll be fine getting myself home. I'll just take a cab," Sydney said while looking at the two.

This time it was Michael who cut in after hearing her. "I don't mind taking you home. Besides, cabs are way overpriced these days."

"No, no, no, I shouldn't bother you," Sydney said, seeing Nadia grin proudly from the corner of her eye.

"It's no problem, really,"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Okay," Weiss interrupted, looking to Michael, then Sydney, then back to Michael. "We're going to go then."

"Okay, see you both later," Sydney said as Nadia and Weiss walked off to his car.

"My truck is right by his car," Michael said as they walked over to his truck. She was just about to open the door when he stuck his hand in and opened it for her. He smiled and she thanked him, and climbed into the truck. He hurried over to the other side, getting in and starting up the truck.

"So," She said, looking around at the interior of the truck. "I guess you're pretty bummed about the hockey season."

He nodded, glancing at Sydney for a moment and smiling. "Just about, I love the Kings, when my dad was alive, he would always take me to the Kings games when I visited here. He died when I was eight, working for the CIA."

She looked down, then at him. "I'm sorry to hear about your father."

"Me too," He mumbled out. There was an awkward silence that followed, until he turned on one of his techno CDs, as "Ready, Steady, Go" played over the speakers. "Am I going the right way?"

"Yeah," She smiled, and gave him directions for the rest of the way to her house, until they came upon a nice large house. She was going to open the door when he stopped her.

"Let me," He said, getting out of the truck and going over to her side, opening the door to help her down.

"Thank you," She smiled, as a hint of red showed on her cheeks.

"No problem, I just like...old fashioned values."

"Well then, Michael Vaughn, I guess you have an advantage over every other seventeen year old in this city."

"Really? Awesome!" He laughed, and she joined in. "But it was a pleasure meeting you."

"You too, but I hope Eric and Will weren't much of a hassle."

"No," He laughed again. "From what I've seen already, they're pretty good guys."

She nearly snorted in surprise. "Oh, wait until you really get to know those two," She chuckled, thinking of all the torture the two, along with their girlfriends, already put Sydney through.

He smiled, not being able to take his eyes off of her, admiring her beauty. He couldn't to think how nice it would be to have Sydney as more than just a friend. "May I ask, where do you go to school?"

"Carrington High."

He looked at her, nearly thrown off by her answer. "Seriously? I'm going to go there, too!"

She smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Then you'll be glad to know that everyone you met tonight goes there."

"Wow," He mumbled, still shocked. "But, uh, um, I guess I'll see you later?"

"Okay, see you." She said, heading up to the doorway as he got into his truck. She turned back, waving bye to him as he took off down the street. She unlocked the door to the house, going inside and closing the door.

Then it hit her, she was falling for Michael Vaughn.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sup y'all:D I know last time I forgot to mention this is absolutely and totally AU. Oh yeah, for people that are waiting for the Season 4 DVD to be announced, register your email account with for updates. I did that, and I'm waiting happily. Now go on and read, and review too! 'Cause besides money I love reviews. ;)

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"Nothing happened."

"Sydney."

"Nadia."

The sisters went into an intense stare down. Nadia had been trying to pry out any information she could about Sydney's feelings towards Michael, but nothing came out.

"So he was a gentleman to you?" Nadia questioned, taking a drink of her soda and tucking her legs under her while she moved around to find a more comfortable position on the loveseat.

"Yes, he was, for the umpteenth time," Sydney sighed, looking towards the television. She didn't seem to hear the end of it, from her sister and her best friend. Ever since that night three days ago, they bugged her for anything. But she told them the truth, or at least most of it.

"Do you think he might like you?"

"Nadia!" Sydney vented out in frustration, as her cell phone began to go off. She grabbed it, pressing the connect button and putting the receiver to her ear. "Hello?"

"Sydney, baby!"

"Noah!" Leaping off of the couch, Sydney ran from the living room, taking the stairs two at a time to go to her room. She didn't need her sister listening on in the conversation.

"It's so good to hear your voice," Noah said.

"Yours too, how have you been?" She asked as her face showed radiance. She couldn't be more pleased to hear from her boyfriend then at that moment.

"In a very good mood, especially with what I'm going to tell you."

"What's that?"

"Well, I know that school starts in about two weeks, and the parents just told me that we're coming home on Sunday."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes!"

"Noah! Oh my God! This is great! I've missed you so much; I can't wait to see you again!"

"You too, sweetheart," He said, and then paused for a moment, so he could listen to someone. "Sorry Syd, I've got to go, we're going on another one of these tours and you know how the family loves to be early."

"Yeah, you better be back on Sunday, I'll be waiting!"

"Don't worry, I promise. I'll talk to you later, love you."

"You too," She said as they both hung up. She fell back onto her bed, her stomach doing flip-flops over the news.

"Let me guess, he's coming back," Nadia said as she peeked into the room.

"Finally," Sydney said with a smile on her face.

"So he's coming back?"

"From what I heard, and Sydney's ecstatic about it," Nadia said to Francie, as their boyfriends just listened on.

"Great, I thought she might've had a little something for Michael," Francie said as a frown developed.

"I think we all did," Will added in. "I hate to see Syd like this. I've seen her at her low points when Noah's not around. She needs somebody that will be with her all the time, not half of the damn year."

"I still don't trust him," Weiss scoffed as he took a drink of his Dr. Pepper. "Ever since I met the guy, I've always had this feeling he's been hiding something from all of us, and even Syd."

"I think we all know he's hiding something. What else would he do for a whole summer vacation? Just be with his parents? I don't think so," Francie said, leaning back on the couch.

"Gosh, I hate doing this to Syd," Will sighed as he wrapped an arm lazily around Francie's shoulder. "Talking behind her back like this."

"I don't think she would really have any problems, would she? I think she's upstairs right now talking to him," Francie said.

"We would be killed," Weiss said, nonchalantly.

The rest nodded, as Weiss's cell phone began to ring. He picked it up and answered it.

"Hello? Hey, dude! Yeah, game tomorrow, same time. Nothing right now, let me see," Weiss put his hand over the speaker. "Nadia, would you mind if a certain _person_ came over? The dude is thoroughly bored, and this is your house."

"Sure, but tell him to bring some food, oh, Taco Bell!"

Everyone nodded happily at the idea. Weiss took his hand off and began to talk again. "Yeah, it's cool, but you got to go to Taco Bell. Don't worry, we'll pay. Everyone want soft and hard tacos?" Everyone else nodded. "Yep, alright, see you in a bit, buddy," Weiss hung up the phone and slid it back into his pocket. They all grinned at each other before Weiss's stomach growled.

"I guess I was good in making that decision," Nadia chuckled while looking to Weiss.

"It's food! And you know anytime somebody mentions anything for it, I'm all game."

"We know," Will laughed.

About thirty minutes afterwards, somebody began knocking at the door. Nadia jumped up, running over to the door and opening it.

"Michael! Glad you came through on the food! I don't think I could put up with his stomach noises anymore," She said happily while leading him inside. "Come in here," She led him through the hallway and into the large living room. He marveled at the large living room, only seeing the exterior of the home days ago.

"Mike! Dude, you officially rock!" Weiss said as Michael sat down, placing the Taco Bell on the table in front of him. Nadia hurried off to the kitchen to get drinks.

"Alright, I got about fifty tacos here for all of us; I hope you guys have a huge appetite."

"You kidding?" Will asked with a laugh. "We do."

"Here you go, Michael," Nadia said as she came back in with drinks, handing Michael a Pepsi. She sat down next to Weiss, and then jumped up. "I bet Syd's hungry, I'm going to go get her."

Michael looked up at the mention of her name, and everyone noticed, but didn't act on it. Nadia headed up the stairs to Sydney's room, where she found her getting off the phone.

"Hey, Nadia, are they still here?" Sydney asked as she stood up, tossing her cell phone on her bed.

"Yeah, we got Taco Bell, I bet you're hungry."

Sydney's stomach growled at the mention of food. "Um, yeah, how can I not resist Taco Bell?" She mocked, going on like Weiss as they both headed out of her room and to the stairs.

"So dude, you know any swear words in French?" Weiss asked, being his dumb self. Sometimes the man could search an hour trying to find a pencil when it had been on his ear the whole time.

"Well, I should," Michael muffled out as he swallowed down the rest of the taco. "I am French, you know," He emphasized with his accent.

"Well then, say some!" Weiss yelled, trying to push him on.

"Nah, I try to keep some value and not to cuss in front of the ladies," He said with a smile, with cheese and lettuce showing in his mouth.

"Oh God," Francie nearly choked on her taco and laughed at Michael, who just grinned wider.

Sydney froze when she heard a certain voice right when she was coming to the stairs. "Nadia," She growled quietly, sending a death glare at her sister.

"What?" Nadia looked at her sister, her reaction surprising her. "He brought the food."

"Right," She mumbled, going to the stairs to see Francie laughing. She began going down the stairs, trailing her sister, when Francie stopped, looking at her friend to read her face, which was currently showing a mix of expressions.

"I guess I should be nice," Michael said as he looked at Francie, and then turned around on the couch, meeting Sydney's eyes. The room was silent, except for a baseball game playing on the television. He couldn't even talk; his breath was caught in his throat when he saw her, looking beautiful even though she was dressed very casual.

"Mike brought Taco Bell for us all, join in," Will said, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Gladly!" Her face broke out into a smile as she took a seat on the lone loveseat and grabbed some tacos.

"Syd, you should here this," Weiss began, not bothering to even chew the food that was in his mouth as he was talking. "We're at practice this morning, like...what else is new."

"Get to the point!" Will groaned.

"Yeah, well, coach actually let me try something else than goalie, I had to face the backup, of course, but I scored, every damn time!" He beamed, proud of what he did.

Sydney stopped right before she was about to eat her taco, her face getting red as she tried to hold in laughter. "You mean, you actually stood up, skated without using the boards, held onto the stick, and shot it!"

Eric's face turned red as everyone busted out laughing. "Sydney! Might I remind you, the last time you went skating you were _glued_ to the boards!"

She gave him a look, a death look to be exact. "That was because I haven't been skating since I was five! It had been just a little bit." She held up her hand and put space between her thumb and index finger, just to make a point.

"You should've seen him, though," Michael said, finally recovering from laughter. "He looked like Dumbo on skates. I think coach knows now to just stick him with a lot of gear and between two posts."

"Dumbo on skates? Now that I have to go and see sometime," Nadia said while looking at Eric, who was looking down and shaking his head in despair.

By the time they were done, the whole group moved outside and onto the large back porch, taking seats in lounging chairs next to the pool. Sydney had once again grown quite comfortable with Michael, sitting next to him, and completely forgetting about her boyfriend's arrival in a couple of days.

"So Mike, you ready for the next game tomorrow?" Weiss asked, slipping his hand into Nadia's.

"As long as I don't get to see you speed skate, I'm totally prepared," He said with a grin.

"You're evil, dude, you know that?" Weiss said with a laugh.

"I'd agree with Vaughn," Sydney said, looking to Weiss, then at Vaughn. Everyone gave her a quick glance, including Michael.

"Vaughn, nice ring to it," Will said.

Michael blinked for a second. "Wow, nobody's called me that since school in France last year."

"Well Michael, Vaughn, Mr. French, Gretsky, Hockey God," Francie rambled until Sydney coughed, glaring at her. Francie grinned. "Get used to the many names."

"Will do," Michael smiled, his chin dimple showing, and Sydney noticed, smiling herself.

"You know what we need to do, make use of this behind us," Weiss said, pointing behind his back to the pool.

"I did leave one of my suits here," Francie piped in, jumping up and pulling Nadia and Sydney up. The three headed inside to go get their swimming suits. All the guys just looked at each other.

"Why not?" Will asked as he got up, taking off his sandals and shirt, jumping into the pool. Weiss followed suit, jumping in afterwards. Michael laughed, taking off his shoes and socks, then his shirt and jumping in.

"Race?" Weiss asked with a cheeky grin. The other two looked at him and busted out laughing.

"I don't know, Will, do you think a ten second start would help Weiss?" Vaughn asked while laughing.

"Twenty seconds wouldn't help him," Will kept on laughing, as Weiss just sighed.

"Come on guys, I'm not that bad."

"Yeah, right, the last time I saw you in the pool you were attacked to the floats. I still laugh at the memory," Will cracked at Weiss, as Michael went underwater, to pull Weiss down and keep him under.

"It'll never end, will it?" Nadia asked as all three girls came back outside, wearing bikinis.

"You mean, guys being oh so mature?" Francie asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Michael finally resurfaced, Weiss a couple seconds afterwards gasping for air.

"Come on now, Weiss! You can't even hold your breath for ten seconds!" Michael complained while laughing. He saw the three, his laughter seizing as he had a look over of Sydney's body.

"I'm not surprised, it is Eric," Nadia chuckled.

"Oh, right here, Nadia, it hurts right here," Eric said, covering his heart with both hands.

"Shut it," She snapped, jumping into the pool, a few feet away from Weiss. The other two jumped in, starting a splashing fest.

"I _so_ know what to do," Francie said, looking to Nadia then Sydney. "Chicken fights!"

"Oh yeah!" Both Will and Eric said at once, surprising their girlfriends and picking them up, placing them onto their shoulders.

Sydney hesitated, looking to Michael who was being eyed at by Weiss. Her mind went through millions of emotions, while she argued with herself mentally. Finally deciding to end the mind wars, she swam over to Michael, leaning into his ear. "We can kick their asses."

He froze, feeling her close, and then when she spoke to him, the hairs stood up on his neck, his senses going crazy. He turned to her and grinned. "Well then, Sydney lets kick their asses." He finished, going underwater as Sydney sat on his shoulders. He held her legs and nearly fainted, never expecting to be this close to the girl he was falling for. He regained thoughts as he felt the need for air, and resurfaced.

"You know, Sydney, I bet I could kick your ass right now," Francie dared.

"You think?" Sydney raised an eyebrow, a sly smirk appearing on her face.

"You know it!" Francie exclaimed, keeping her stare.

"Bring it on," Sydney said, stone faced. Will and Francie approached, and an all out cat fight started. Sydney got the upper hand, grabbing Francie and heaving her over her shoulder, Sydney not being able to let go and going underwater with Francie. When they came back to the surface, both were busting out laughing.

"Oh, come on guys, am I just supposed to stay on Eric's shoulders the whole time?" Nadia asked while pouting, obviously fake.

"I don't mind," Eric grinned, looking up at Nadia's face and smiling at her.

"Fine, you got to complain, don't you?" Sydney stuck her tongue out and swam to Michael. He nearly froze again as she placed her hands on his shoulders, but then pushed him under the water, wrapping her legs on his shoulders. He rose up, resurfacing and holding onto her legs as he stepped over to Weiss, as another 'chicken fight' began. Sydney won once again, knocking Nadia and Weiss over.

"Oh yeah, we rule!" Michael laughed, holding up his hands as Sydney instantly gave him a high-five.

"_We_ rule? Who was doing the fighting, and not just standing there," She pointed out, trying to wiggle out of his embrace, but he decided to hold her tight. She really did not mind, but played along.

"Without me you would suck!" He joked, and continued on. "We _so_ make a good team," He said in his best Francie voice.

"Don't _even_ mock me, Vaughn!" Francie yelled from the other end of the pool.

Sydney was laughing by this point, and Michael decided to surprise her, lifting her off of his shoulders and launching her into the air. She shrieked, landing back first on the water, and after recovering, swam after Vaughn. Francie swam to Nadia, grinning from ear to ear.

"She's going to kill us later after figuring out what we did, won't she?" Nadia asked Francie, quietly.

"Probably, but seriously, I don't think I've ever seen her this relaxed before. Damn Noah," She sighed, dipping under the water to wet and smooth her hair.

"Let's not ruin it!" Will yelled as he jumped on Francie's shoulders, making her yelp in surprise and fall forward into the water. Michael stopped swimming to look at the commotion from the other side, but Sydney didn't stop, and dunked him. He grabbed her hands, pulling her forward in the water and swam up to the surface.

"What did I do?" He asked innocently, his eyes connecting with hers.

She got lost in his eyes; completely forgetting what he said and continued her staring.

"Will!" Francie shrieked, as Will had his arms wrapped around her and was close to tossing her halfway across the pool.

"Weiss!" Nadia was next, Weiss was close to throwing her across, his arms securely wrapped around her.

Michael grinned, looking at the two guys before sneaking up behind Sydney, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.

"Vaughn!" She yelped, surprised at what he did, but relaxed in his strong embrace.

"One, two, three!" All three girls were in the air at the end of the guys' countdown. Francie and Nadia swam back after regaining their senses. The two looked at each other, and then their boyfriends, as all four seemed to be in on some plan.

"Oh gosh, Will! Aren't we supposed to go over to your family's house for dinner tonight?" Francie asked, slapping herself lightly on the forehead.

"Shit!" He growled, remembering. "Amy and mom will kill me if we don't make it."

"Okay, go ahead, you guys," Sydney said, swimming around the pool nonchalantly.

"Aren't you supposed to, too?" Nadia questioned Eric.

"Yes and my mom begged that I bring you over, like now," Weiss said, swimming to the edge of the pool.

"Sorry Syd," Nadia said, getting out with him. Soon the four were gone, leaving Sydney alone in the pool, with Michael, she looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and he showed the same expression.

"Don't you love friends?" She joked with a smile.

"Got to," He smiled back, swimming towards her. "So Syd," He crept closer. "What other sports do you like besides hockey?"

"Oh, I don't like hockey," She chuckled, her dimpled smile showing. "I'm just forced to watch you guys play."

"Right, well, at least we're sexy enough to watch," He grinned, and she had to resist the urge to reach out and touch his chin.

"I don't know about that, I get paid to watch those games," She threw him a lop-sided grin, and he laughed.

"But seriously, sports?"

"Oh, that. I like to run, a lot. I guess that's my sport, but, anything, you know? I'm just a sports kind of person."

"Even baseball?" He prayed that she did like the sport.

"Of course!" Her smile broke out again.

"Good then, my uncle gave me his season tickets for the rest of the year, since he's heading to France."

"Point being?" She asked, always wanting to get to the point.

He laughed at her ways. "Point being, you want to head to the game tonight?"

She looked at him, not being able to speak, the words caught at her throat. All of the regrets were now coming back at her. Now she knew the whole reason her friends did all of this, to set them up both in the end. And she had been blatantly flirting with him this whole time! She would remember to give them all a good smack in the head sometime afterwards.

"Um, Syd?" Michael said, getting pretty nervous, but broke her out of her silence and concentration.

"Sorry," She mumbled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'll go."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks everyone for the reviews! I've got a very interesting next chapter coming up (this one is interesting, too...but still, someone's coming...:D) So, more reviews, faster getting it up..:)

* * *

Sydney got out of the shower, partially drying off her damp her as she wrapped her body in the towel afterwards. After Vaughn left, she didn't know what to think anymore. 

"_You will?" His smile was radiant, he felt like the happiest and luckiest guy in the world at the moment._

"_Why not? They just better be awesome seats."_

"_Trust me, you'll love them. But I'm gonna head back home and take a quick shower," He said, getting out of the pool to check his watch. "Pick you up in about an hour?"_

_Thoughts of Vaughn naked corrupted her thoughts before she tore her mind out of the gutter. "Sure," She gave him a simple, dimpled smile._

"_Alright, an hour it is, see you in a bit, Syd!" He yelled over his shoulder as he walked out with his things._

_She stared at the door for a couple of seconds, and reality smacked her across the head. She was already flirting with him, and now she was going to a baseball game with him! Hell, in today's world, it was a date._

"_No date," She mumbled, and started to do laps before going out of the pool and to take a shower. "We're _just_ friends."_

Her cell phone rang and she growled, going out of the bathroom and picking it up, answering it also.

"Sydney!" The person on the other line, which of course was Francie, answered for her.

"Francie, what do you want?" Sydney asked while looking in her closet. '_Look for something very casual,'_ she told herself.

"Well, just wanted to know how you two did after we all left," Francie whistled innocently.

"Right, you just want every piece of information, don't you?"

"You know it!"

Sydney laughed. "Oh, found one!" She yelled happily, but then cursed herself because Francie also heard it.

"Found what?" Like expected, Francie replied to her sudden outburst.

"A shirt," Sydney mumbled; just clear enough for Francie to hear.

Francie beamed and was close to shrieking out loud. "Are you going on a date with Michael!"

"Oh God, Fran!" Sydney sighed, throwing the top on the bed and began searching for a pair of shorts.

"That's a yes! Where to?"

Sydney sighed, rubbing her forehead. "He's taking me to the Dodgers game tonight."

"OhmygodSydneyyouhavetotellmeeveryfreakingdetailwhenyougetback!" Francie rambled on at a mile a minute.

"Whoa! What did you just say?" She laughed at her friend and her ways.

"When you get back, tell me absolutely everything," Francie flat out said, calming herself down in the process.

"There will be nothing going on, sweetie," She grinned, knowing how much Francie hated it when anyone called her that name. "His uncle has season tickets, but he gave Vaughn the tickets for the rest of the season."

"Oh, so this won't be the only time, will it?"

"What are you implying that Michael and I will be going to more of these games? And that your sick mind wants me to date him?"

"Maybe," Francie said, accompanied by another innocent whistle.

"He doesn't know that I have a boyfriend."

Francie was silent, before she finally decided to speak up after thirty seconds. "Then break up with Noah!"

"Now why in the living hell would I do that?" Sydney snapped, and began pacing her room.

"Sydney, calm down and listen," Francie heard a sigh on the other end, and continued on. "Look, Noah is away for about half of the year? And do you really think he spends all that time with his family?"

It was the first time that Sydney stood there, stunned. "Are you saying that my boyfriend is cheating on me?"

"Never rule it out," Francie said in an extremely serious tone, which freaked the hell out of Sydney. The thought of Noah cheating on her only crossed her mind once, and it was this summer, when he called, and not even two seconds later he had to hang up. She swore she heard another woman, not being his mother or relatives.

"Well, I can think about that later, I'm going to have fun at the stadium with a friend," She changed the subject as quickly as possible.

"Okay, bring me back a shirt!" Francie said and laughed, as they both hung up.

"Great, what if she is right," Sydney mumbled as she continued her search for a good pair of Dodger blue shorts.

The doorbell rang, and Sydney frantically ran to her bed, picking up her purse. She ran back into her bathroom, straightening one last piece of her hair before bolting down the stairs and to the front door. She smoothed out her Dodgers tank top and shorts, before opening the door. She did, and standing there was Michael, in all his glory, looking casual but also sexy with a pair of jean shorts and a Dodgers jersey, with all of the buttons unbuttoned, and a white undershirt showing.

"Wow, Syd, you look great," He smiled, shifting from one foot to the other, in a nervous fashion.

"You too," She smirked, walking out of the house and closing the door. "So seriously, how good are these seats?" She walked over to his truck, as he raced over and opened the door for her, then got in on his own side.

"They're okay, I guess," He said, looking away from her to grin like a little kid. He started up the engine and headed out of her neighborhood, and to the game.

"Okay? Nosebleed seats okay?" She tapped her nails impatiently on the armrest.

"Oh no, but they could be bleachers. I never really looked at the seating chart, but I know they are some numbers."

She threw her hands up in the air in a mock surrender. "I give up! There's never going to find a way past you to figure out anything."

"True," He laughed, looking at her as she looked frustrated. He could tell that it was a show, and decided to play along with it.

They argued and bickered, then talked the rest of the way to Dodger Stadium, finally making it through traffic to be there twenty minutes before the game started. They got out of his truck, and Sydney looked around at the jammed parking lot, and also the large crowds waiting to get in at the gates. She saw a line that wasn't big, and grabbed Michael by the arm, dragging him over to the line.

"Come on!" She yelled, weaving through people to get to the line.

"In a hurry?" He chuckled, following along merrily until they stopped to stand in line, which was going quickly.

"Tickets," The man said, as Michael handed over the two tickets. They went through the gate, and as the guy was handing them back, Sydney tried to snatch them, but failed, only to see Michael grinning.

"Come on now, buddy," He joked, resting his arm on her shoulder. She froze for a moment, looking at the arm on her shoulder, before melting to his body as he led her to their seats.

"Holy, oh my...How did you..." She stammered as they walked out to the seats. "You never told me you had Infield Reserved!"

He laughed, continuing her on down the steps. "Those aren't our seats," He noted, pointing up to where she stopped momentarily. They continued down the stairs.

"Michael...Vaughn...You, nooo," She continued to ramble on as they went down the steps. "We have behind the home plate seats!" She shrieked as they stopped at Row CC, Section 1, and she jumped and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a huge hug which he greatly accepted.

"Lets sit down before you suffocate me," He said with a grin, as she finally let go, the blush showing on her cheeks. He showed them the seats and she sat down.

"How did your uncle get these seats?" She asked, amazed, looking at the field then back at Michael.

"Uh, well, to say that my uncle has some money would be an understatement. I don't even know how I got this lucky and got the seats."

"Tell your uncle I said thanks!" She said with a big smile. "Oh God, I got to call the guys and tell them about this."

"Do it," He laughed as she pulled out her cell phone, dialing Francie.

"Francie!" Sydney yelled, she had to now, the players were going onto the field and the crowd was cheering like crazy.

"Syd! You're at the game, how's it going?" Francie asked.

"Great! Turn on the game!"

"Oh, we got it on, I told the guys about you two being there, we're glued," Francie said with a laugh.

"Awesome! Oh, hey, first pitch! Watch the game...closely."

"Wait, what'd you say? I got the phone on speakerphone, say hello!"

Sydney motioned to Michael, and they both talked into the phone. "Hey guys!"

"Hey!" The four that were watching at home answered.

"Strikeout!" Weiss shouted happily, then saw something unusual and leaned closer towards the television.

Sydney noticed the silence, and she put her hand on the receiver. "In five seconds, wave straight ahead. I think they're getting it," She said quietly, patiently waiting until the five seconds was over, and right when the pitch was thrown, both Sydney and Michael waved. "Hi guys!"

"Holy shit!" Will yelled. "You guys are on TV!"

"Does my hair look good?" Sydney joked around and grinned. "Anyway, now that you guys can see us, I'm hanging up."

"Have fun!" Francie yelled as Sydney turned off her cell phone, and looked to Michael.

"We're on television, can you believe that?" She smiled, and he turned to look at her, their eyes connecting once again. She felt the heat rising to her cheeks and turned away before being completely engrossed in his green eyes.

It was the bottom of the fifth, the Dodgers beating the Braves 4 to 2.

"This game has been awesome!" Sydney smiled as she took a drink of her soda, as the Braves scored the last out to send the game to the top of the sixth. All eyes seem to divert to the big video screen, where it showed a big heart, along with the couples kissing.

"Aw," Michael joked, looking to be flattered. He then straightened up and watched, straining his eyes to see the next couple.

"Vaughn!" Sydney noticed too, as people around and even from other sections started to cheer them on. She looked at the screen, then at him, as their eyes met again and had the quickest mental conversation.

"Come on buddy, kiss her!" The fans egged them on.

Michael looked at her, as she placed a hand on his cheek and leaned in, her lips touching his. At that instant, everyone began cheering around them, but the two did not even notice as the kiss deepened. She finally parted lips, as the cheers grew around them. He looked at her, completely surprised, as her hand slid off his face. She jumped when her cell phone began to ring, and she answered it.

"Sydney," She said.

"I saw it," Francie answered, still shocked at what she saw on the screen.

"Saw what? That awesome home run last inning?" Sydney asked, completely confused.

"No, the...kiss. They played the couple's kissing. Syd, _you kissed Michael on television_."

Sydney sat there, shocked, trying to talk but no words escaped her throat. Only one word went through. "What?"

Francie sighed. "We all saw it, I still can't believe it," Her tone changed within a matter of seconds. "Go you!"

"Francie," She hissed, turning to Michael who was watching the game. He sensed her watching him and looked, a small smile forming on his lips.

"You know, we can see you," Francie joked around, trying to lighten the mood.

"Fran, I'll talk to you later," Sydney warned, the words taking on more meaning, words she wouldn't say next to Michael. Francie got the point and they said their goodbyes, hanging up.

"Oh, oh...YEAH!" Michael yelled as he and about thirty thousand fans jumped to their feet, cheering in accomplishment to the double play the Dodgers made to end the inning. Sydney, after realizing what happened, joined along with the applause.

"Vaughn, you won't believe this," Sydney said as they both sat down.

He looked to her and laughed. "I believe anything nowadays, we do live in LA."

"Vaughn," She looked at him, hoping that he got the point that she wanted to be serious. He stopped and looked at her. "We were on TV. Francie just called and told me."

"Oh God, Syd, I'm," He tried speaking but she covered his mouth with her hand.

"Don't," She smiled, and then looked ahead as she took her hand off of his mouth. He looked at her smiling face, then back to the game, and smiled himself.

"That was so much fun!" Sydney exclaimed happily at the end of the game, as they both made their way up the stairs. "We kicked their ass!"

"That we did," He said as they entered the crowded hallways to the slanted walkways and stairs. "Ah, great," He mumbled and securely wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Sydney was about fed up as they made it about ten feet from their previous position. She knew that far too many guys had already groped her, some idiots even trying to talk to her.

"What's up, baby, want to see my bat?" A drunk wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as he talked to Sydney. She threw him a disgusted look, as he continued, trying to advance on her. He tried to grab her breast, and Vaughn had enough, lifting his arm off of her shoulder to push the drunk with his hand.

"Move away from her, now," He warned, he even had enough with the perverts.

"How about you, pal? I had her first," The drunk replied, struggling on a few words as he tried to talk clearly. He pushed Vaughn back, almost into Sydney.

"Don't _even_ come near her," Vaughn was practically seething by this point, and the drunk had the nerve to push him again. Vaughn looked away for a moment, straightening his shirt before he swung at the guy, but his left fist stopped a few inches away from the drunk that was now cowering in fear.

"Fine, buddy, you can have her!" He said, walking away nervously, and also stumbling over people.

Michael turned around, looking to Sydney, who just stared at him. He looked away, letting out a deep breath. She walked up to him, grabbing his hand, making him look at her, his eyes met a genuine smile.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," He smiled, also, as they started to walk towards the exit once again. He leaned over and started to whisper in her ear. "Nobody should ever treat you like that, I'm serious."

"Just don't hit anybody, don't want to see you going to jail at a young age," She said with a laugh, lightening the mood.

"Did you see his face? 'Please, don't hurt me!'" He mocked, and she laughed louder. They finally made their way outside, going quickly to his truck.

"Syd, about that kiss," Michael said as he started up the truck, and began to follow the forming line to the exit of the parking place.

"It happened, don't worry about it," She said, looking at him. He looked at her as they waited, a smile creeping onto his features, as she tried hard not to touch the chin dimple. She looked forward, then out her window. It was amazing how much a day can change her perspectives. First from talking to her boyfriend earlier in the day to kissing another guy at night! Another thought came up and hit her. '_Oh no...He's coming home Sunday,_' She thought, as the sudden urge to cry had her gripping the armrest, her knuckles turning white.

"Syd?" Michael asked, looking to her as she released her grip and took a deep breath. "You okay?"

"Yeah," She nodded, running a hand through her hair. "Can you believe that snatched up home run?"

"Unbelievable."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Oooookay doooookay. Hee. Anyway, I'm besides this going to be the most evolving chapter so far (a load happens, be prepared:holds up fingers: Boy Scout:smacks Vaughn muse for being so damn hot: Err...yeah. :D) I'm also going to be linking this story to Alias in another way, the songs. **So what I need is some requests for songs that have been on Alias, and I'll figure out where they will fit.** I've got a couple planned so far, from S2 and S3. If you're that desperate to know (oh God, don't be too desperate! Hee, hee)...start reviewing. :whistle:

Now come on reviewers! And gracias to **vaughnloveralwaysandforev** for reviewing!

Also, putting this up now, don't know if I'll be able to update Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. I gotta work tomorrow, Thursday help my aunt and uncle move, Friday might be an off day (dunno yet)..Saturday I work, and Sunday I should be going to the Cardinals game! And..also a 4th of July party. :)

Now on with the chapter, enjoy it!

* * *

"So are you going to do it?"

"I don't know yet," Sydney said, pacing around her room, her cell phone clutched in her right hand. She finally caved in, flipping the cell phone and dialing a number.

"Hello?"

"Noah!"

"Sydney!" Noah said, surprised, but managed to cover his voice up. "How are you?"

"Good, you're coming home tomorrow, right?" She asked, glaring at her sister, who was sitting on her bed, watching Sydney.

"Yeah, should be home in no time!"

"Babe, I'm sorry, I won't be able to see you tomorrow at the airport," She sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Don't worry about it, Syd. I know you're busy, parents and everything. I'll drop by tomorrow after I get unpacked?"

"Sure!" She smiled. "See you tomorrow."

"Alright, love you."

"You too," She said, both of them hanging up afterwards.

"So?" Nadia asked, looking at Sydney.

"He bought it," She sighed, looking away. "I can't believe were doing this, you know how I hate lying to him."

"Hello, Syd!" Nadia was close to hitting her sister. "You're surprising him, hell, we all are!"

"Let's not give him a heart attack, okay?"

**xxxxxxxx**

"Why did we bring them?" Sydney asked, frustration in her voice, to Francie and Nadia.

"Will and Eric wanted to come! Welcome home Noah, it's a big thing nowadays," Francie said with a smirk.

Both guys looked up from the magazines they were reading when their names were called.

"How delayed is his flight? Jeez," Will growled, engrossing himself back into the magazine.

"Come on, girls," Francie announced, standing up and pulling Sydney and Nadia up with her. "Let's go have a little talk," She said, and then looked to Will and Weiss. "You two keep a lookout."

"Oh fun," Eric muttered as they started to walk away. Sydney looked back and shot him a death glare.

"So Sydney," Francie said as they made it to the bathroom. "How was Friday, since you really didn't talk when you came home."

"Yeah, I did that to avoid this. But, he was really, really nice. And I guess you two already know about the kiss," The other two nodded. "It was," She looked at them as they stared at her. "It was amazing."

"I knew it! We could both tell during that game!" Nadia squeaked.

"I guess that was the awkward part, you guys could watch us whenever you wanted to!"

"Yep, you two looked _very_ comfy out there," Francie pointed out.

"Yeah, and if the guy wasn't already nice enough, after the game, you know how sometimes there can be idiots? I was the brunt of it, and finally Michael just got really pissed off and scared the shit out of this one drunk."

Both Francie and Nadia sighed in happiness.

"Boreeeeedom," Will yawned as he stretched his legs out, looking up at the flight screen. He jumped up when seeing a certain flight made its arrival. "His plane's here."

"Finally," Weiss grumbled, tossing his magazine to the side and also standing. They made their way through people and to security, both stopping dead in their tracks at what they saw.

There was Noah Hicks, standing with another woman at the security gate, giving her a lingering kiss.

"You see what I see?" Weiss asked, dumbfounded.

"Oh yeah, oh shit," Will mumbled, scratching and craning his neck to the side. "I don't think you would greet a family member like _that_."

"Uh, what should we do?" Weiss was still stunned by what he saw.

Will turned from shock to anger in seconds. He grabbed his cell phone, flipping it open. "The bastard," He stared at Noah, before going through the menus on his cell, and then held it up, taking a picture. He saved it, and closed the phone again.

"Photographic evidence?"

"Aren't you the genius?" Will snorted, grabbing Weiss by the arm and going back to their original seats, snatching their magazines and heading off to where the girls took off to.

"Dude, you are not doing this," Weiss mumbled as they walked quickly in the direction. Will smacked him hard in the arm as he saw the three girls walking towards them, mentally telling Weiss to put on a face.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Francie greeted as they met with the two boys.

"Sorry, Syd," Will began, and Weiss looked at him. "Will's flight was delayed. I checked, they had to stop in Kansas. The lady said it would be another six hours."

"Oh, great," Sydney sighed. "Guess we should go, there goes our plans for a surprise." She said as they all began to walk to the exit of the terminal. Weiss walked with Sydney in front as Will dragged Nadia and Francie behind.

"You two listen," He began quietly, looking to Sydney to make sure Weiss had her occupied. "That was a lie. We saw Noah," He saw Francie's eyes light up, both shook his head furiously. "He, he wasn't alone," He mumbled out as he took out his cell phone, going through the menus and to bring up the picture he took earlier. "He was kissing this woman."

Nadia looked at the picture first, then Francie and Will. "That could be his relative."

"Oh hell no," Will growled lowly. "Seriously, this went on for like a minute. Now, no relatives would even act like this."

"I knew it," Francie sighed, looking at Nadia and Will, who both showed puzzled expressions. "I told Sydney awhile ago that he wouldn't be spending all that time with his family. I mean, being away for that long and saying that? I can't believe she bought his excuses the whole time."

"Did you ever tell her about that?"

"Yes, and she didn't really think about it, at all."

Nadia sighed. "Great, this is just one happy go lucky world."

"When should I tell her?" Will asked.

Francie smacked him upside the head. "_You_ don't tell her."

"What about Mike?"

"Oh God," Francie's jaw dropped, remembering the game. "This is not good."

**xxxxxxxxx**

The next morning, Sydney woke up, hazily, she might add. She looked around at her surroundings: Will and Francie sleeping on the couch bed, and Nadia sleeping on the loveseat. She shook her head, too fast for her own good, and groaned loudly. She looked out the backdoor, seeing Weiss sleeping on a lawn chair. Now she remembered what happened. Since Nadia got a hold of the airlines, of course, which was a lie, she told Sydney that the flight would be even later than expected, at least 2 in the morning when it would arrive. So she, Nadia, Francie, Will, Eric, and Michael went to Sydney and Nadia's house, deciding to watch movies until the hours of the morning. But Eric decided to mix things up, have a drinking game, but Michael was the only one who declined, he had hockey lessons early in the morning.

'_Not like he really needs it_,' Sydney thought to herself as she got off the loveseat, making her way to the kitchen to see her mom cooking up a storm. "Mom!"

"Hey sweetie," Irina greeted, continuing to cook. "Did you notice Eric outside?"

"Yeah," Sydney laughed, taking a seat at the breakfast bar. "I'm going to let him sleep before I order Will and Michael to wake him up."

"Michael?" Irina asked, suddenly stopping her buttering of the bread to look at Sydney.

"Oh, forgot to tell you about him. Michael Vaughn, he moved here from France recently, seriously nice guy. He's on Weiss and Will's hockey team, and fit in with us perfectly."

"That's great! How's Noah doing?" Irina asked, and started on the food again.

"Good," She mumbled out. He was basically the reason she felt shitty this morning. "His flight was delayed, a lot, probably came in sometime during the after hours."

"Well, it's good to hear that he's finally home. Traveling all around this summer probably wore him out."

"I bet," Sydney yawned, resting her head on the table, but she shot up when someone knocked on the door. She sprinted for the door, stopping only to unlock the door and swing it open, to see a smiling but sleep deprived Noah standing on her porch.

"Syd!" He said, happily, as she wasted no time and jumped into his arms. "I'm so sorry I didn't come by last night, flight was delayed."

"I heard, but its okay, you're back!" She smiled, placing a kiss on his lips.

He looked at her, showing confusion. She knew? He decided not to say a thing and played along. "Back for you," He smiled, setting her down. "I'm guessing everyone's inside?" He asked after looking at the cars in the driveway.

"Yep, we had a little fun last night after we figured out you'd be gone."

'_We? Who the hell else knew?' _ He asked himself. "Did Weiss get you guys drunk?"

She held up her thumb and index finger, distancing them apart, while showing a dimpled grin. "Just a _little_ bit."

"And I missed that? Damn," He pouted, as she led him into the house. They went into the living room, Sydney surprised to see everyone, apart from Weiss, awake.

"Thanks for waking us up, Syd," Will mumbled, not even acknowledging Noah. "You run like a damn elephant."

"I do not," She frowned, and then looked to Noah. "He's back!"

Nadia mumbled something to herself, but all three exclaimed at the same time, "Welcome back!"

"Thanks," Noah smiled, taking a glance at the backyard. "Wow, you weren't kidding."

"I never do!" Sydney said proudly and went into the kitchen. All three that were now awake glared at Noah, who was looking at Sydney. Will thought of fifty different ways he could kill the man right now, smiling as he went through all of them in his mind.

"Breakfast is ready!" Irina announced from the kitchen, and just like that, everyone, still excluding Eric, sat at the large breakfast bar, eating in an instant. "Noah, glad you're back."

"Me too, didn't want to miss a great meal," He smiled, with a mouthful of food to add into the charm. Sydney squeezed his cheeks, hard, nearly making him lose his scrambled eggs.

"Who wants to wake Weiss up?" Sydney asked, and everyone groaned in response.

"Why don't we just let him sleep out there?" Nadia asked while taking a bite of her sausage.

"Because I plan on going swimming today and I don't want to have that big lug ruining my day," Sydney complained.

"Fine," Will growled as he stood up, grabbing a sausage eating it, before heading out to the backyard. Everyone else, including Irina, looked out the windows, watching as Will carefully dragged the lawn chair to the end of the pool, placing it horizontally against it, and leaning the lawn chair to the pool. "WAKE UP!" He shouted as loud as possible, and Weiss did, jumping up only to fall into the pool. Everyone busted out into laughter as he walked back inside and took a seat at his original chair, and continued eating like nothing happened.

Weiss opened the door to the house a few seconds later, stomping towards the kitchen, soaking wet. "What in the _hell_ was that for?"

"You're the one that decided to sleep out there, genius!" Sydney responded while trying to hold in her laughter, in which she failed miserably.

"Go get yourself cleaned up, Eric," Irina said, holding a grin to make sure she didn't laugh. "I don't want this house to be soaked."

"Thanks," He pouted, going to the bathroom. Once he was out of eyesight, the kitchen was filled once again with laughter.

Eric came back a few minutes later, still damp, but sat next to Nadia, giving her a gigantic hug, which was met with a scream and some lethal punches to his arms. He noticed Noah and smirked, before starting on his food. "So, Noah, how was the trip back?"

"Torture, delays all over the place. I swear if my family wouldn't drag me all over the world I would never step on a plane again."

'_Another lie_,' The four that knew the truth all seemed to think at once.

"Yep, delays suck," Weiss said. "On my only family trip to New York, on the way back we had to stop in Kansas. Booooooooring," He stressed. "I heard you were stuck there." Nadia shot Weiss a look and nearly died on the spot.

Noah choked on his drink. Now what the hell was going on? Were they just out to get him? "Yeah, the place, not fun, at all. And being there with the parents made it that more enjoyable," He sighed, praying they would buy it.

Instead of Nadia wanting to kill herself, now she wanted to kill Noah. The man wasn't bad at lying, but anyone could tell he was slipping.

"You could've called," Sydney whined, but then smiled, leaning on his shoulder, which made Will sick, his thoughts from earlier coming up quickly.

"I know, I'm sorry, the cell was dead. I forgot to charge the battery on the way back."

Slit off his head and put it on the wall of 'Cheating Bastards'? Now Will was about to lose it.

"Payphone?" She pouted, looking up to him.

"I'm sorry," He mumbled.

Letting Syd drown him in her own pool after she saw the picture? One step closer.

"It's okay," She smiled. "You're here, it's all good now."

Noah stopped instantly, standing up and nearly making Sydney fall off her chair. "Oh God, I just figured out I have to talk to my boss! I'm sorry, Syd," He said, giving her a quick kiss on her cheek. "I'll probably be gone all day; he'll have me working like a nut."

She looked at him, her eyes rimming with unshed tears. "You just got home."

"I know, I wish I could use that excuse on my boss. I'll call you later, promise," He said, rushing to the door and leaving.

"I'm sorry," Sydney mumbled, burying her head into her hands as she let the tears flow. Both Francie and Nadia were at her side, rubbing her back soothingly.

Maybe a nice fist to the face would serve the prick good? Will sighed, rubbing his forehead.

The doorbell rang, and none of the teenagers made any move to get it, in spite that it would be Noah. Irina read them like a book and walked over to the door, opening it.

"Hello there," She greeted to a young man.

"Hi, um, uh, I'm Michael Vaughn," He said, awkwardly.

"Oh, hi!" Her interest peaked as she brought him inside immediately. "I'm Sydney and Nadia's mother. They're in the kitchen."

"Thanks," He smiled. "Nice to meet you, you have two wonderful daughters."

Irina smiled as they began to walk to the kitchen. "Thank you, you seem like a very nice man from the way Sydney was describing you."

He tensed up, but immediately relaxed. "I don't think I'm as bad as Weiss or Will," He joked.

"Oh, that reminds me, Weiss is a bit cranky this morning. Something about getting thrown into the pool," Irina smirked before walking away towards the study. Michael continued his walk towards the kitchen.

"Mike!" Weiss jumped up, walking towards Michael.

"Whoa, no...Absolutely no hugging," Michael warned after seeing Weiss was still wet.

Sydney's head shot up at the mention of Michael's name. She took in a deep breath and began to hastily wipe the tears, as Francie and Nadia went over to greet him.

"So let me guess," Michael said as he said hi to Francie, Nadia, and Will. "You guys got wasted and had to stay over."

"Probably a smart thing you left," Sydney said as she turned around in her seat. "I still don't know what Weiss mixed in those drinks."

"And that will be my secret," Eric added in with a smile plastered on his face.

Sydney gave Michael a look, scanning his full body. She noticed he had on his swimming trunks along with a tight Dodgers t-shirt. For a moment she didn't even think of what happened just ten minutes ago. "I guess you remembered what we offered last night."

"Yeah!" He smiled, running a hand through his rustled hair. "Who wouldn't take the opportunity to kick ass while the others are suffering from hangover?"

"That reminds me, we have to set up the volleyball court!" Nadia shrieked as she grabbed Eric's arm, dragging him to the basement to find the pool volleyball set.

"Let's go get on the swimming suits, Fran," Sydney said as she and Francie headed up the stairs, leaving Michael and Will by themselves.

"Come on, you've got to try their mom's food," Will said, referring to Irina's cooking. He took his place and began to eat, while he handed Michael an empty plate and let him start on the food. "Not too much, though, once you start you seriously can't stop. It's like those damn Pringles," Will went off into mumbling the signature Pringles line, _once you pop you just can't stop_.

"Alright," Michael agreed, throwing some sausages and bacon on his plate, and sat next to Will. "So how'd things go last night?" He asked while stuffing himself with food.

"Yood," Will said just before he swallowed the food. "We were all pretty freaking wasted. Weiss ended up sleeping outside and on the lawn chair."

"Explains why he's wet," Michael said with a laugh.

"Oh he's going to kill me sometime, I know it," Will said, and had the thought of telling Michael about Noah, but knew that Nadia and Francie would be the ones accused with his death if he spilled anything.

"You know it's not good to get your asses kicked in the pool after you just ate," Francie said with a grin as the two girls passed by and went outside, both wearing bikinis and holding towels. Weiss was already in the pool, trying to assemble the volleyball set all by himself, since Nadia was getting ready.

"Weiss, no, don't do that!" Sydney shouted as she threw the towel on one of the chairs and jumped into the pool, swimming to where Eric was and helping him set up. Both Will and Michael walked outside, in just their trunks, along with Nadia who was shaking her head at her not-so-into-it-at-the-time boyfriend.

Michael, however, was watching Sydney in the pool. He was caught off guard and brought back to his senses when she started to scream and shout angrily at Weiss.

"Gosh, don't you know how to set it up! Oh, there's no point in even trying, GAME ON!"

At her announcement, everyone was in the pool. Vaughn and Will decided to pair up with Sydney, who was intended on knocking Eric's brain loose with a well placed ball to the head.

After three games, a load of trash talking, Weiss getting his head hit, Sydney's team easily won.

"That's not fair; we have Eric on the team!" Francie complained. "We want to trade Eric for Sydney!"

"What?" Will asked, his face priceless as his mouth was wide open.

"Alright!" Sydney said happily as she swam over to the girls' side. "Now it is time to whip ass."

"Finally!" Nadia said happily as Weiss gave her a glare.

After another long three games, the girls won, 2 to 1.

"Weiss! I swear you need to learn how to play volleyball!" Will said as he went underwater.

"I do know," Weiss pouted.

"Okay, let's have a _real_ game then, Sydney and me versus Will and Francie." Michael announced, and everyone agreed. "Sorry Nadia."

"No problem, I need a rest anyway," She said with a grin as she got out of the pool, the same time as Weiss as they both went inside to get drinks.

"Bristow and Vaughn versus Tippin and Calfo?" Will grinned. "Oh, let's beat 'em, honey."

"In your dreams!" Sydney snorted as she served the ball, right at Will.

After three games that Sydney and Vaughn won, Francie was so frustrated that she was about to kill Will. "Gosh Will! You're almost as bad as Weiss!"

"And you're yelling at Weiss about not knowing how to play?" Michael asked while laughing.

"I _am_ better than him," Will growled as he got out of the pool.

"Poor loser," Sydney laughed as she saw Will mumbling off in his own crazy language.

Francie looked at Will before looking at the Sydney and Michael. "I'll take half of the blame."

"Nope, its okay, we're allowed to suck every once in awhile," Sydney said, a smirk on her face. Michael nearly choked trying to hold onto laughter when he heard this.

"Oh, thanks Syd!" Francie yelled mockingly as she climbed out of the pool. "Really supportive, you are."

"That's what friends are for," Sydney chuckled as she positioned herself to sit on the ledge.

"Aw man," Michael sighed. "We made them leave with our superior volleyball skills!"

Sydney looked at him with a shocked face, before she fell into the pool from laughing too hard. She came up out of the water, coughing slightly then forcing herself not to grin too wide. "Superior, well, I guess I can say that, but they just flat out stink."

"I heard that Sydney!" Weiss yelled from inside the house.

"I was hoping, my conscious!" Sydney yelled back and looked at Vaughn, who was grinning at her. "What?" She could feel her face begin to warm up.

"Nothing," He smiled, continuing to look at her.

'_Oh God,_' Sydney said to herself, looking to Francie and Will who were looking at the two. She shot them both a look; they got the message and took off inside the house. She could hear faint arguing inside the house between the two couples, mainly Weiss and Will.

Michael looked as the two took off inside the house. "_And_ we scare people away, gosh, we're horrible," He joked.

She didn't hear the joke, only her throat as she tried to clear it. She shook for a moment, feeling as if the temperature fell in seconds, but it was summer, Los Angeles, hot weather, she tried to maintain her composure.

"Vaughn, we have to talk."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxx **

:evil whistle: Review and it will come! Remember, I got the chapter written! And also...song ideas!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey everybody! It's a Friday! And I'm not drop dead on the floor:D Well, working 12 hours yesterday moving stuff on 24 hours of no-sleep does something to you, and I was _out of it_ when I came home. But good news, I'm going to the game on Sunday! Hopefully good news: I won't have to work later today! (I'm "on call", per say)

And thanks for the reviews! Made me post this much sooner. Maybe if I'm happy and more reviews come (wink wink cough cough :P) I'll get another one up by the 4th!

And this chapter and the next have a warning for some cussing...Just to let you all know.

Now enjoy yourselves, have fun reading, and have a great 4th of July weekend:)

* * *

"_Vaughn, we have to talk."_

His eyebrows knotted in concern, he noticed the laughter and glow that just a couple minutes was no longer present on her face. He knew whatever news she was about to say wasn't going to be good at all. "Okay."

She motioned for him to get out of the pool as she did herself, dragging along a lawn chair. He grabbed his own lawn chair, dragging it over to where she was sitting, directly in front of her, and sat down. From inside the house, the four that were now watching like hawks could only see Michael's face, and the back of Sydney's head.

"You think she's going to tell?" Weiss asked, and Nadia gave him a good smack on the shoulder, to shut him up immediately.

"Michael," Sydney sighed, looking down as her hands began to shake.

Michael looked at her, now his forehead wrinkles showing. "Syd, what's wrong?"

She cleared her throat once again, linking her hands together. Now her leg began to shake. What the hell was with her and shaking all of a sudden? "I want to get straight to the point, I don't even know if I can handle telling you this," She looked up momentarily to see him nod. She put her hand on her forehead, rubbing it hard. "Michael, I like you and everything," Now it was his turn to be shocked, until he put on the concern face, and she swore she saw him blush. Great, even more complicated. "But," She could see his expression falling; maybe he knew what was coming? "I have...I," She cleared her throat once again. "Have a boyfriend."

She was right; it was like she could read him like a book, one trait she picked up from her mother well. He couldn't even look at her anymore, and she could hear him clearing his throat. "Then," He paused, trying to gather his voice. "Why hasn't he been around?"

She could've cried when she heard his weak voice, whenever she hurt someone, it pained her so bad. "He goes on trips, with his family, a lot," She said quietly. "He just came back from his summer trip this morning."

He leaned back on the chair, wiping his forehead which gained a sheet of sweat during the time. "So, he was over here before you came?"

She nodded, and his heart fell again. Wait, why was he having these emotions? He and Sydney were just friends. Right, and the kiss and the ballpark meant absolutely positively nothing. Something buzzed in his head, the reason why she was quiet after the game and in his truck. Regrets? Probably.

Sydney could tell what he was thinking, hell, she was thinking about that kiss, too. "Vaughn, I know, don't worry about it."

"Syd," He mumbled weakly. "You have a _boyfriend_ and I _kissed_ you."

A hesitant laugh and he looked up at her in surprise. "Turn that the other way around, I kissed you."

"You didn't need to," He sighed; looking around at the yard, avoiding her eyes, damn those eyes.

She smiled, a truthful one, and he noticed.

'_That smile_,' He thought, then smacked himself mentally.

"And be mobbed by thousands of Dodger fans? Oh no," She chuckled, her light mood coming back in an odd time.

He couldn't help but to smile himself. "Are baseball fans that crazy?"

"Did you not see the drunks?"

"Oh, yeah," He grinned.

"Hola amigos!" Francie announced as the four came back outside, the girls dressed in their regular clothes as the guys were still in their trunks.

"Hey Fran," Sydney smiled as she looked at the four, she was actually thankful they came now and not before.

"Syd, we're going shopping," Nadia said, straight to the point.

"And _not_ taking the guys," Francie said as she looked at Eric and Will, which both rolled their eyes in response.

"Like we would want to go shoe and purse shopping?" Michael joked as he smirked at the three girls. "Go have fun, Syd," He said discreetly to her, and she grinned when hearing him, jumping up from her seat and pulling Francie and Nadia inside the house.

"So, what was the talk about?" Will asked as he took a drink of his soda.

Michael looked to Will, he hesitated at first, but then figured out Will probably knew everything. "Sydney told me about her boyfriend."

"Oh boy," Will muttered to himself as he pulled out his cell phone, tossing it on the chair that Michael was sitting on before he took a seat on the other chair. Weiss just looked at Will, too shocked to even talk.

"Here," Will said, taking the phone and flipping it open, to search through menus to find a certain picture. He gulped, loudly, before speaking again. "His name is Noah Hicks. Mike, what I'm about to tell you, man, you _can not_ tell Sydney."

**xxxxxxxxx**

Francie nearly fainted on the purse shelf as she heard Sydney. "You told him the whole story, of Noah?"

Sydney sighed, grabbing a purse that Francie almost squashed. "I told him about my boyfriend, how he's on trips a lot, and that he just got home today."

"And he didn't want to kill himself or anyone else?" Francie asked, finally regaining her composure and continued her search for the perfect purse.

"Surprisingly, no. He's not like that, at all."

"And you know that, how?" Nadia questioned, searching through a clothes rack.

"You know how I have this uncanny ability to read people, like mom does, right?" Sydney asked, seeing the two nod and she continued. "Well, I could tell he was pretty bad. Maybe I shouldn't have told him that I liked him, first."

Both Francie and Nadia seem to drop whatever they were holding, looking at Sydney like she was some foreign terrorists buying lollipops at a drug store. Francie then broke out into a wide grin, pulling Sydney over to give her a tight hug. "Sydney! I swear to fricking God, when are you going to set your mind straight and go with Michael?"

"Because, I have Noah!" Sydney yelled, losing air as she finally escaped the arms of death.

"Syd, we need to talk," Francie and Nadia said equally, as Sydney looked at the two, confused.

**xxxxxxxxx**

Michael blinked, trying to register the information. Within ten minutes, Sydney had told him that she had a boyfriend, nearly giving him a heart attack. Then, Will comes, says he can't tell Sydney anything about the conversation they were going to have, and flat out says Noah is cheating on her, with photographic proof. Can a guy's life get any crazier at this point? He was surprised at himself for not going completely insane.

"Mike, I swear, you can't tell Syd about this."

He nodded, for about the fifth time Will told him in thirty minutes, the rest of the time after the confession was silent. He knew Will was one of Sydney's best friends, and just having Michael tell Sydney would probably not register for her. "Wait, is that why Francie and Nadia took Sydney out shopping?"

Weiss sighed; he had grabbed another chair earlier and sat next to the two. "Nadia told me she or Francie might tell Sydney. Be prepared for when they come home."

Not even two seconds afterwards, the back door flew open, Sydney marching outside. The shopping didn't last very long at all. She walked right over to Will, grabbing his arm and yanking him to stand up. Will could see she had already been crying.

"Is _this_ true?" She asked, pointing to Francie's picture phone, which showed the picture Will had taken. "And if it isn't, if you're trying to make me break up with Noah, I swear you will _not_ leave this house in one piece."

Will gulped; he knew Sydney's threats all too well. He rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand, biting his lip at the same time. "I took it yesterday, at the airport," He started, and everyone's eyes diverted to him. "When you were off with Francie and Nadia, Weiss and me saw that the flight came in on time. We were close to security when we saw Noah, with her," He pointed to the screen to prove his point.

She looked at him; she didn't even know what the hell to believe anymore. Wait, she heard Weiss in this story, and she looked over at him on the chair. "Eric, is he telling the truth?"

Eric couldn't even talk, he was speechless, and now Sydney scared the living daylights out of him. Once he realized what she said, he nodded furiously.

Once she saw his nod, emotion struck her once again. She turned away and walked out towards the grass, where she sat down and began to cry into her arms.

**xxxxxxxxx**

"You have to see this?"

"See what?" Noah hissed into his cell phone, mouthing sorry to the person next to him as he got up off of the couch.

"Sydney," The person on the other line said, one of Noah's friends, Nick.

"What about her?" Noah asked as he went into the kitchen, away from the girl who was wondering why he left in the first place.

"Damnit, just come over _now_," Nick growled before hanging up the phone in irritation.

Noah sighed, running his hand through his hair as he walked back into the living room. "Sorry babe, I've got to go to a friend's house, he said it's really important and that he'll kill me if I don't go now," He said, mostly telling the truth. Before she could say anything, he planted a kiss and then proceeded to walk out the door without another word being spoken.

"This better be good," Noah growled as he walked into Nick's house ten minutes later.

"Yeah, it is, well, I guess," Nick mumbled off as he led Noah to the basement, where his room was. "You know how I'm like the biggest Dodger fan in the world, right?"

"It's not that hard to forget that you watch the games, TiVo them, then watch them again the day after to review anything," Noah smirked as Nick also did, before going over to his TV and picking up the TiVo remote. "You might want to sit down for this one."

"Why and how the hell does Sydney fit with the Dodgers game?" Noah asked, getting even more angry as the time went on as he flopped himself down on his friend's couch.

"You'll see, and you know those parts in between the innings where they do like Mexican Hats and shit?"

"I'm not fucking stupid," Noah growled, rubbing his forehead.

Nick finally found the spot, the bottom of the fifth inning as the Braves scored the last out.

"Cheerio," Noah mocked as he glared at Nick. "Is this what you wanted me to see?"

"Nope, just watch," Nick said as he took a seat on the couch, distancing himself from Noah as the 'Couples Kissing' part started.

"Wow, an old couple, I'm thoroughly surprised," Noah was close to his breaking point.

"Just look!" Nick yelled in frustration. Noah sighed, turning to the TV. He looked closer as another couple came up on the screen.

"Wait, no, what in the fuck?" Noah mumbled. "That's Syd, with another guy! What the hell?"

Nick gulped, trying to move even farther away. "Dude," He pointed to the television again, as Noah watched. Nothing happened so far, until Sydney put her hand on the unknown guy's cheek.

"No."

Then moved into kiss him.

"That whore!" He snapped, hitting the closest thing that he could find, which happened to be the coffee table. It didn't break, but was close to under his force.

"Sorry dude," Nick mumbled, looking at his friend who looked like he wanted to kill someone.

"Thanks, for that," Noah spat out as he got up, leaving the house immediately.

"Damn," Nick mumbled, caving into his couch. "I wonder what will happen when Syd finds out about him."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Okay, I think I'm spoiling the crap outta you guys now. :P But since I might not be home Monday or Tuesday, I decided to post it up today because all of you were so nice to review:) My weekend kind of turned into a downer since I can't goto the Cards game later today, but all's good, I'm still going to the one on the 18th with my aunt (who has breast cancer, so I'm giving her a gift :)). And if anyone caught the Live 8 performances yesterday, weren't they awesome!

m47e47l: Thank you for the music choices! Once I listen to them/find lyrics/smile happily (:P) they'll be used! Oh yeah, Noah could be bitch slapped soon, with writing nowadays, you never know what to expect. ;)

Another language warning...So yep, expect it.

Depending on if I get back, another chapter will be in either Tuesday or Wednesday. More reviews definitely Tuesday (also if I'm even home, I'm gonna be with my cousin taking care of him for the day).

But for now, enjoy this chapter! And have fun tomorrow on the FOURTH! Don't burn down your houses, ya hear? ;)

* * *

Sydney had finally stopped crying after twenty minutes, but she still sat in the grass, her knees brought up to her chest as she stared at the sky. Her world had practically collapsed in about an hour. She told the man she was quickly falling for the truth, and a look she couldn't even bear to see on his face, then finding out the awful truth about her boyfriend. The lying, cheating scum that didn't even deserve to have her heart in the first place. Now she knew everything, and her friends had been right, of course. 

"Syd."

She turned around and squinted, the sun going right into her tear-filled eyes. She finally caught a glimpse of Michael once she could see clearly again. "Michael," The tears started to flow again.

"Oh God," He mumbled, sitting down in the grass next to her and wrapping a secure arm around her shoulder. She didn't mind, as she rested her head on his shoulder. He could feel the tears landing on his chest, but he didn't give a damn about that. All he cared about was Sydney's feelings.

"I can't believe it," She finally spoke up after minutes of crying. "I should've known, I should have trusted Francie, trusted my friends. But no, every time they told me about Noah, I'd just block out what they were saying and listen to what I wanted, what I _needed_, and I guess in my messed up mind, it was him."

"Sydney," He lifted her chin up slowly, making sure he had eye contact with her. "You can do much better than him. He is just a lying bastard, and I swear if I ever meet this guy he will _never_ hurt you, and I promise you that."

She smiled between sniffs, trying to maintain her composure. "I fell for it; I fell for his fucking charm. He would be the only person that would listen to me," With that statement, the tears started up once again as she put her head on his shoulder.

"Sydney, it's not your fault. He just lured you into a false sense of security. Do not, please, don't think that it's your fault for that."

"Okay," She mumbled, as he wiped away her tears.

"Damn, is there some fricking party here or something?" Noah mumbled as he came up to Sydney's house. He parked his car on the street, getting out and slamming the car door shut, before walking up to the front door and knocking loudly. He was met a few seconds later by Irina.

"Noah, I thought you had to work," She said, but he interrupted, pushing her aside and going through the house to the backyard door. He froze, not even noticing Eric, Will, Francie and Nadia in the pool, but the two people sitting in the grass. He definitely recognized Sydney, but not the other person. He sighed in frustration, before opening the door.

"Sydney!" He shouted loudly, walking straight to where they were.

"Oh no," She mumbled, and that was all Michael needed to hear. He straightened Sydney, and in one quick movement he was on his feet.

Noah skidded to a stop as he noticed who the guy was, the one from the game, the one who Sydney kissed. "You sick fuck, what the hell are you doing with my girlfriend."

"_Your_ girlfriend?" Michael asked, getting right up in Noah's face. This time he talked to where Sydney couldn't hear. "What about your _other_ girlfriend, Noah? Is she waiting back at your place?"

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Noah backed away, trying to punch Michael, but failed when he easily ducked.

"You know the one at security gate yesterday?" Will said as he got out of the pool.

"I came home this morning, and you guys know it."

"Right, then why were we waiting for you while your tongue was practically down some other girl's throat?" Will growled, he was about to put his ideas from earlier in the morning into action.

"Will!" Francie shrieked, smacking herself upside the head. Sydney heard the whole thing, not even daring to turn around as she was in tears again.

"What the hell, that was my cousin! And no, it was a kiss on the _cheek_!"

"Right, explain this you bastard," Will said, showing him the picture. Noah's expression changed, from anger to the deer-in-the-headlights look that had been known to come from cheating boyfriends and husbands.

Sydney by this time, had enough, as she got up, garnering everyone's attention as she walked straight at Noah.

"Baby, please, let me explain," Noah pleaded.

Sydney glared at him as she took the last steps, and then struck her fist right into his jaw, as he fell down onto the ground. She got on top of him, pinning him down as she grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"I swear if you ever decide to show your fucking face around here, then this will be ten times worse. I know the truth, why'd you do it? Taking me for granted?" She stopped, holding back tears. "For the sick pleasure of knowing you can play me? No one, _absolutely_ no one gets around hurting me," She ended, sending him one final blow, right to his eye. "Now get away from my house," She commanded, getting off of him as she crossed her arms over her chest, watching him stagger up.

"You'll-You'll pay for this," He said, the words barely able to escape his mouth before Michael sent a punch right to it. Noah fell over again, this time crawling as he tried to stand.

"Don't _even_ step into my house," Irina warned as she walked outside, she wasn't too pleased from what he did to her just a bit ago.

Noah looked at her, before stalking away towards the gate, opening it and leaving quickly.

Sydney looked to Michael, who was rubbing his knuckles from the blow. "Vaughn."

"I told you," He said, stopping to look at her and smile. "I'll never let anyone hurt you."

**xxxxxxxx**

Sydney sat staring at the notebook she had in her hand. It was now Sunday, the day before school started. Six days had passed, and besides the hockey games, she didn't go out, so everyone migrated over to the house for the whole week. Finally, after the whole week was over, complaints were coming out from the guys and Francie that they had to go home for at least an hour. Which lead to where she was now, listening to the radio, Gwen Stefani's "It's My Life" flowing out of the speakers. She placed her feet on the desk, leaning back her chair as she put her pencil to paper, trying to think of something to draw. The only thoughts were of Michael, and still of Noah. Ever since that Monday she was thinking of at least a million ways of killing him.

The worst part, though, was that she would have to deal with him at school.

"Sydney!"

The shouting of Nadia made Sydney scream, falling completely over in her chair. "Shit, Nadia! Want to scare me just a little bit more?" She cried out and stood up, grabbing the chair and placing it in its position.

"I would, but everyone's going to the movies, you in?" The grin showed on her face from her previous accomplishment just seconds ago. It was a hard task to scare Sydney Bristow, and Nadia finally did.

Sydney sighed, taking a seat on the bed. "Nah, I'm going to stay home."

"Okay, Syd," Nadia said, walking over to Sydney and sitting next to her. "You're like, scaring everybody. You've done nothing but sit around the house; thanks to me you actually had human interaction when everyone came over for like, the whole week."

"Well when your boyfriend cheats on you, everything changes just a little bit," Sydney hissed out.

"That doesn't mean you need to end your social life," Nadia commented, and stood abruptly, grabbing Sydney's arm and pulling her up. "Come on, you are going."

Sydney growled, and nodded slowly. "Fine, I'm going to go take a shower."

"Meet me downstairs in an hour," Nadia said as she heard knocking at the door. "They're here! Move fast, sis."

"Whatever," Sydney growled, going to her bathroom and slamming the door shut. Nadia looked at the door, before turning to the notebook Sydney dropped, and opened it, flipping a few pages back, and began to read.

'_I can't believe it. Why don't I listen to my friends, and hell, my family even? I'm thinking of taking Will's advice now when he told me about his fifty ways to kill Noah, or make him wishing he was dead. I think I've multiplied that list now to at least a thousand. Words cannot even describe how much I hate that fucking man, but the bruises he probably has on his face do just a little._

_And Vaughn, he's so nice. The polar opposite of Noah, thank God. And when he punched Noah, I think I figured out something that I wouldn't have written down until now: I am falling bad for Michael Vaughn. And by the way when I told him I had a 'boyfriend', he felt the same exact way for me. He has to be the sweetest guy ever, especially when he just let me cry on his shoulder for what felt like years. I hope something happens between us, but not too soon, I just hope he'll understand that.'_


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hello my fanfiction slaves:smirk: Erm, yeah, I said I would deliver on Tuesday...and Voila! Tis here:) This chapter is just to get along with the school (Why's it named Carrington High? Nooooo idea. :P) And to meet some familiar characters:) And aliaschickita...Sorry if Chap 3 looks as if it is plagarized, I watched Be Cool before I wrote that chapter and the idea popped into my head, stuck there, and me being a huge baseball fan just had me typing like a nut. Sorry if it looks that way, though. :(

Alexx, lucky you! I wish I could've gone, but being about 1000 miles away from the nearest concert kind of diminished that idea. But I've been watching the concerts obsessively on AOL. :D

irionelissa: Even though everyone's going to kill me sometime in the future for some stuff I will post, I have already taken your idea. They will take it slow (hah, right..i know, beginning of season 4, but this should be true!) Don't worry, I won't torture you anymore, that's why I posted this today. :)

And m47e47l (I'm taking a shot and saying your name is Mel:P): Is this website you're talking about Have-Dog? If it is, I follow that website like crazy! Especially when I got to finally see all the seasons. And of course, now that I updated, your turn:D (soon, of course, not trying to push ya :P)

Enjoy! Next chapter will be up by the weekend (Friday if the reviews come pouring in!)

* * *

The first day at Carrington High was to get schedules, take pictures for the yearbook, excluding the seniors, and get acclimated with the teachers. For most it meant getting the schedules, taking the picture as quickly as possible and high-tailing as fast as you could out of there.

For Michael though, it was different. He had never even been to an American school before, so he stayed later, and had Sydney as his own personal tour guide. The rest of the group decided to leave after getting their things, going to a restaurant to eat.

"So you've never been to an American school before?" She asked as they walked slowly down the hall.

"Never, only French schools," He said, never taking his eyes off of her.

"Oh boy," She laughed, looking up to him and meeting his gaze. She looked back down the hall before she could feel the blush creep onto her cheeks. "You better get used to the culture change, fast."

"I will," He noted, noticing her brief shyness and smiling to himself.

"Sydney, good to see you again," One teacher said as he stopped Sydney and Michael.

"Mr. Dixon! How'd the summer in Spain go?" Sydney asked, smiling.

"Good and yours?" Dixon asked, switching his briefcase to his left hand to shake her hand.

"Pretty good, and oh yes, this is Michael Vaughn, he moved here from France," She said while shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Michael. My name's Marcus Dixon, to the students it's Mr. Dixon, Dixon, whatever they please. I teach American History and American Government, plus some other classes on the side," He explained, reaching his hand out.

Michael accepted his hand, shaking it firmly. "Great, I'll be taking American Government this year. Glad to meet you, too."

Dixon smiled, releasing his hand. "Sydney, if you don't mind babysitting my kids again once a week?"

"Not a problem," She smiled a full-on dimpled smile that Michael noticed. "I love those two."

"They seem to love you, too," Dixon laughed. "Anyway, have to head on. A meeting already, I can't believe it, first day. But I'm a teacher, have to do that stuff," He smirked, taking off to leave the two alone once again.

"He seems cool," Michael added, rubbing the back of his neck as he scanned his schedule.

"He is," Sydney said, looking at him. "Back in freshman year, I had him for a teacher, I was taking an honors class."

"Oh man, going all smart on me?"

Sydney laughed, smacking him playfully on the arm as they continued down the hall. "Nope, but he challenged the class, and he noticed I was pretty good, and we became friends...I guess, as much as a student and teacher can become friends. But, he asked one day if I could baby-sit his kids, and from there, and wads of cash later, I still got the job!"

"Can I join along?" He joked, as they went into the gym once again, where all of the chaos of getting schedules and taking pictures was happening.

"Hah, you'll have to gain the guy's trust. Even though you are my friend, you'll have to pass his 'test', what it is...I don't have a clue."

"That's reassuring," He replied, a hint of sarcasm showing.

"Yeah, and he really makes his students pay attention in class. He worked for the CIA some time ago, so he knows a couple of ways to make a kid crap his pants."

Michael flinched briefly at the mention of the CIA. Whenever that was brought up, it made him think of his father, his allegiances, and his death to his country. He sighed, looking away from Sydney and to a window of the gym. "So, why are we in here again?"

She looked at him, wondering why he changed the subject so fast. Then, she thought back to the first night they met and when he told her about his father and the CIA. She sighed, realizing why his mood shifted suddenly. "I'm sorry."

He turned to her, his eyebrows bunched together in confusion. "Why?"

"Because, when I mentioned the Agency, I didn't think before I spoke. I know that you were thinking about your father," She said, looking down to the floor.

"It's not your fault," He said, a smile creeping onto his face as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I just need to get over it. It wasn't his fault, and I shouldn't be dwelling on it all the time."

"But you never show it, you're always happy when you're with us," She said as they went out of the gym and to the main entrance.

"Because, maybe I'm happy when I'm with you."

She looked up at him, momentarily speechless. She was met with a genuine smile on his face. She felt the heat rise up again on her cheeks and looked away. "Do you know what time it is?" She squeaked out, not being able to say anything else.

He looked to his watch, but he already knew. "It's broken," He said, showing it to her when she looked up.

"Then why do you wear it?"

"My father's," He let out, before they walked outside and into the bright sunlight, going straight to his truck.

"Oh," She muttered, immediately understanding the importance and wouldn't want to question him about it anymore.

"Did any of the guys mention where they were eating?" Michael spoke up after a minute of silence. If he could only tell her the truth of the watch, if he could even believe if it was true.

"Nope, and you haven't shown me your schedule yet!"

"Have to say please," He smiled as they stopped at the passenger side of his truck, and he leaned against it, crossing his arms.

"Please for a piece of paper?" He nodded. "Ugh, guys having to make everything complicated," She growled, seeing he just simply grinned. "Please?"

"Okay," He said, handing his schedule and opened the door for her. He walked over to the driver's side, glancing over through the windows to see Sydney still standing in her previous spot. He opened the door in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," She laughed out as she got in, closing the door.

"Then why are you laughing?" He inquired, getting into the truck and starting the engine up.

"Oh, it's just that we have the _exact_ same classes," She grinned from ear to ear, looking out her window to avoid his gaze.

"Fun!" He laughed, driving out of the parking lot. "Now, where do you want to go?"

"Oh no, you are not-"

"Buying?" He smirked as she turned to him. "Yes, I am. Now let me ask once again, where would you like to go, Bristow?"

She laughed at her name being used. "Oh no, Vaughn, you can't use my name like I can with yours."

"Fine then, SB," He grinned, earning the famous Bristow Stare. "Yikes, okay, please, Syd?"

She laughed, looking at the road. "Rally's."

"Whew, thank God I've been there since I came here," He smirked, driving to the nearest Rally's.

**xxxxxxx**

"Sydney!" Nadia yelled into her sister's room, being her alarm clock for the morning.

"No, need sleep, school later," Sydney mumbled incoherently as she grabbed a pillow, throwing it over her head.

"You _had_ sleep!" Nadia yelled, walking into the room to rip the pillow out of Sydney's strong grip. "School starts in an hour."

At this, Sydney shot up, running into the bathroom and closing the door. Nadia grinned, walking out of the room.

Fifteen minutes later, Sydney ran around her room, searching for clothes. She pulled out drawers, looking for shorts, since tryouts for sports were also today. '_It can't get any better,_' Sydney thought, her eyes rolling when she thought of the day to come. She saw a flower skirt and threw it out onto her bed, a pair of running shorts soon after. She went over to her closet, first tossing out a tank top for running, then a form fitting Dodgers tank top. She went into the bathroom to do her hair.

Meanwhile, Nadia stood in the living room, watching the news. She answered her cell phone when it started to ring.

"Hey Nadia!" Francie said happily when Nadia picked up her cell phone.

"Francie!" Nadia greeted back. "Can't believe you're up!"

"Oh, I could barely sleep," Francie said, sarcasm flowing from her voice. "You said you were going to explain something to me, now what is it?"

"Oh, that," Nadia grinned, sitting down on the couch while she began to talk. "Sydney, I read her notebook Sunday. Well, kind of, she dropped it and I decided to take a peek."

"And?" Francie asked, wanting to get to the good part.

"She went off about Noah and how much of a dick he is."

"Don't blame her," Francie added in.

"Can I explain?" Nadia growled and continued. "So I read on, and she _really_ likes Michael. I mean, _seriously_."

Francie squealed, causing Nadia to pull the phone away from her ear. "I knew it so bad! And it's only been like, two weeks since they met," She laughed.

"Anything that's better than that piece of scum," Nadia spat out, and Francie knew who she was talking about.

"So what did the two lovebirds do yesterday?" Francie questioned, and Nadia began to wonder if she was just trying to pry every piece of information she could.

"From what I heard, just went out for some lunch after school."

"A date!"

"Do you think Rally's would really be a _date_?"

"Oh," Francie was silent for a couple of seconds. "You never know."

"I'll talk to you later," Nadia said with a laugh to her friend being very desperate.

"Alright, you better talk today," Francie laughed also as they both hung up.

At eight o'clock, Sydney finally came down the stairs, wearing the skirt and Dodgers top, her hair down and curled lightly, with minimal makeup on her face. She carried her purse in one hand and a duffel bag containing her clothes in the other.

"Took you long enough, who's driving?" Nadia asked as she grabbed her purse.

"You are," Sydney said as she went into the kitchen, smiling to her mother then grabbing some biscuits and walking outside, to where Nadia was waiting.

"Want to impress someone?" Nadia asked while a smirk showed on her lips, as she got into the driver's seat, while Sydney sat down in the passenger.

"No, I just want to look presentable, like my sister," Sydney grinned. "How in the hell did you get so lucky to be a morning person?"

"It's a gift," Nadia said and laughed as she began to drive to the school.

"Right," Sydney muffled after beginning to eat her impromptu breakfast.

They arrived fifteen minutes later, being lucky that the school allowed seniors to have the best spots on the lot. They both got out, going into the school and one of the senior halls.

"See you later, Syd," Nadia said as she parted off, going into a different hall to her locker. Sydney continued down her hall, being lucky to have a good spot as she stopped at locker 47. Grabbing her schedule out of her purse, she tried the combination and was lucky enough to get it on the first try. She opened the locker, looking around at the small empty space, and then closed it when she threw her duffel bag in. She looked down the hall, after hearing people talking and noticed Michael being flocked by at least five girls, all from the cheerleading squad.

"Looks like he's getting acquainted well," She said to herself, a hint of jealousy showing, and stepped into her homeroom, seeing Dixon sitting at the desk. "Dixon! You didn't tell me you were going to be my homeroom teacher."

"I keep things secret," He joked, looking up from his papers. "Now this doesn't mean I'll let you wander the halls all the time like you did last year in American History."

She laughed, trying hard not to grin as she set her purse down on a desk. "No problem, hopefully," She smirked, seeing him grin and shake his head before she walked out of the classroom, seeing the crowd around Michael go down just a little bit.

"So, Michael, you came from France?" One of the girls asked, and he nodded nervously. "Oh, can you speak some French for us?" The rest of the girls surrounding him nodded.

"Uh," He looked around, seeing someone familiar looking absolutely stunning. "I'll talk to you all later," He said, in French, and walked off to the girl who had her back turned, getting her locker open. "It hasn't changed at all."

Sydney jumped at the person talking behind her, and then turned around to see Michael. "What? And don't scare me like that, _Vaughn_!" She growled, punching him in the side.

He nearly doubled over at the force in her punch, but held it in. "The culture! I swear, I don't want to be stalked by women for the rest of my life," Despite the pain in his side, he smiled.

"Then put on some dead skunk cologne, or something," She smiled, turning around to close her locker before turning back to him.

"I don't mind the attention!" He whined, and she couldn't help but to laugh.

"You know, if you keep on whining like that, it's going to be a curse having all these classes with you," She smirked, seeing the look on his face.

"Okay, fine then. I'll just go back to my locker, which I was trying to open before they just started rushing over," He said and walked over to his locker, beginning to work at the lock but having no clue.

"You're doing it the wrong way," Sydney laughed as she stepped in front of him, grabbing the lock from his hands. "Now see, look closely," She said, showing him how to properly open a lock. After getting it open, she turned to see Michael's face just inches away from hers, and she had to resist grabbing his neck to pull him in for a kiss.

He sensed the tension between them, and his lips broke out into a grin. "Well, thank you, Sydney!" He said in a clueless voice, moving away when he sensed she would hit him again.

"Softie," She laughed, putting his lock back on the locker before going back to the classroom.

"Wait!" He yelled, when the bell rang, signaling the one minute warning to get to homeroom. "Which one's 125?"

She turned, walking back to him. "The one I was walking to, come on," She grabbed him by the arm, and then let go as he began to walk with her, into the classroom. Doing this earned her hateful stares from most of the girls in the classroom. She saw the desk next to hers empty, and Michael sat down in it as she sat in hers.

"Alright, class," Dixon began as the bell rang. "My name's Mr. Dixon. I know by the end of the semester you all will be calling me Dixon, so I don't care if you call me that. I'll be taking attendance, but first off, some rules because I'm forced to read them. Being late will result to a signature on your card," He said, holding up one of the identification cards. "But since I'm nice enough, I won't sign them if you're late. But if you are constantly, I will. And also, no excuses for being late. I've heard some pretty ridiculous stuff coming out of some student's mouths, and quite frankly, just as long as you're in a desk before you go to your first class, you're fine with me."

Michael looked over to Sydney, showing a look of shock on his face.

"I teach American Government, and some other social studies classes you guys have probably taken," He said, and began passing out the ID cards.

"Yo, Dixon!" One guy yelled out.

"Charlie?"

"Is it true you were part of the CIA?"

All eyes fixated to Dixon, who showed an amused grin on his face when he walked up to his desk after passing out all the cards. "Yeah, and I know about fifty different ways I can make you scream like a little girl, understood?"

"Yes, sir," Charlie choked out as the rest of the class laughed.

"Other than that, enjoy your first day, seniors."

The bell rang a few minutes later, after the announcements were done over the speakers.

"Sydney, I hope you know I'm completely clueless as to where I'm going," Michael said as they headed to their first class, Honors Literature 4.

"Well, be lucky," Sydney chuckled at the sense of him being lost on his first day. "You got me as your personal tour guide."

**xxxxxxx**

"So, how do you like it so far?" Eric asked Michael at lunch, all six had the same lunch.

"Good, I guess I got pretty lucky to have Sydney in all the classes with me, or else I'd be dead meat," Michael responded with a grin on his face, but he couldn't see Sydney smiling and beginning to blush.

"Oh yeah, she's probably clawing those girls off of you," Will joked as he ate his food.

"Will!" Francie yelled, smacking him in the arm. "Freaking idiot."

"That's why you like me," Will smirked as he wrapped an arm around her, as she stuck her tongue out at him. "Don't tempt me, Francie."

Sydney, meanwhile, didn't listen to any of the conversation. Her eyes seem to be on one person, the person who betrayed her a week ago, Noah Hicks, _with another girl_. She let out a deep sigh, looking down at her food, thinking she could bear the sight in front of her, but felt the tears beginning to form at her eyes, threatening to drop at any second. Her sister saw her expression, concerned when she just stared blankly at the food.

"What's wrong, Syd?" Sydney shakes her head, thinking she can just pass it by. "Please?"

Another deep sigh escapes her mouth as she gazed her eyes upward, giving her sister enough of what she was glooming about. Nadia saw the small gesture, looking ahead and sneering at what she saw. Despite the sudden urges to jump over the table and show the man what he deserves, Nadia wrapped a comforting arm around her sister's shoulders, rubbing the left gently.

"Need to go?" She asked in a whisper.

"I'll be good," Sydney said in an equally quiet tone as she sat up, straightening her back to take a stab at the food on her plate. Not exactly edible, but it will do. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see what was happening right now, and decided to eat a piece of the "pizza", she didn't even know if an animal would eat that, but she peeked one eye open to see Weiss eat his, and beginning to work on Michael's plate.

"I think you can die from eating that stuff," Michael stated as he watched Weiss at "work", a laugh escaping when Eric opened his mouth in a smile to reveal whatever contents happened to be in that food.

"Oh man, I think this might be the first time I hurl over...food," Will stated as he looked away, his face nearly trembling at Eric.

"What? It's food!" Eric chanted happily as he saw Sydney bring a napkin up to her mouth for a few seconds, then wrapping it up, topped by another napkin, and aimed it at his head. "Syd!" He yelled, barely getting his arms up to shield the gunk of food coming his way.

"That's for giving us the worst image of the day," She retorted, beginning to laugh as she saw his face turning into a frown.

"I agree," Michael said, looking to Sydney, then at Eric. "I would throw something, but garbage disposal here already took care of everything," And at Eric's new name, the whole table busted out into laughs.

Once the laughter died down, Sydney decided to take a look in the direction which earlier could've let her in tears, and all she saw was empty seats. At this, she smiled as the teachers began dismissing the students from lunch.

**xxxxxxx**

Sydney sat beside one of the trees along the track, loosening up before she would begin her run. It was time for tryouts, or in this case for Cross Country, show up, run, and you'll be on the team.

"Hey Sydney," A male voice said as she looked up, seeing the familiar face of a good track friend, Daniel Hecht.

"Danny!" She said eagerly, leaping up from her position to give him a hug. "How've you been?"

"Good, I worked the majority of the summer, couldn't wait to get back to running again."

She smiled, looking around at all of the new faces. "Amazing how many new people there are here, isn't it?"

"Of course," He laughed, taking a look around, then seeing the coach beginning to walk towards the large groups. "Time for fun, catch you later."

She laughed as he walked off towards the group of guys, and took a seat down in the shade once again. After a minute, most of the talking quieted down and the coach got control of the large group of kids.

"Alright, welcome to Cross Country, my name's Coach Lennox. Now, all you have to do is show me that you can run. After warm-ups, everyone fill in this sign up sheet, and at the end, grab an order form if you want Cross Country gear. Now go!"

The whole group took off on the track, the seniors commanding the lead over the rest. Sydney was in the front, keeping a steady pace along with Will.

"So what happened today, you seemed kind of quiet at lunch?" Will asked, glancing over at her.

She looked at him. "I saw someone I didn't want to see."

Will just nodded, and quickened the pace for the both of them, turning it into a full out sprint between the two as they went down the straight path to complete their first lap.

"Come on, Syd!" Will shouted out to behind him, where Sydney was currently lagging behind. She could only grin as they made the turn to the final straight down before the coach would stop them all. Sydney then picked up her pace, running by Will in a dramatic finish.

Coach Lennox grinned as the runners came in, all staying together to wait for him to talk. "Okay, now that you have probably seen the race. Meet your co-captains for the team, Will Tippin and Sydney Bristow."

Sydney and Will gave each other amused and surprised looks as people gave them their congratulations.

"Now everybody, sign the sheet and get to running the neighborhood. See you all back here in one hour."

After signing their names on the sheet, Will and Sydney looked at each other, sharing a grin, before sprinting off to the neighborhood.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Oh gosh, I hope all of you are patient! I was at my dad's through the week and didn't even write this chapter until today/tonight. Oh, and I do like tomatoes, but none that are flying through the air at my face. And you'll get the point soon. :x

Review responses are now at my Livejournal, the link on my profile (Homepage...yup). From now on I'll just put the responses there so you can just get to the story quicker. And sometimes a spoiler if I'm extra happy. ;)

And thank you for the reviews! I don't know how much I can stress this, but just taking some time out of your day to write one is cool, and makes me happy. And input is always welcome, I love looking at the ideas everyone has and maybe incorporating them into the story.

So, depending on how fast I get the next chapter done, expect an update by Wednesday. If I get some writing done, and reviews (I know, I love to do that now, blame my buddy Aryn..:P)...Mayyybe Monday/Tuesday! Sunday nights are seriously boring at work, so maybe my muse will help then:P

But for now, once again...and like always...Enjoy it!

* * *

Sydney watched as she ran house by house down the neighborhood, coming close to finish the mile along the neighborhood then make the trek back. She listened to her MP3 player, blaring out the songs currently of Jet, the one motivating her to run was '_Cold Hard Bitch_.' Running by herself and away from the groups let her have her alone time, to think, not to be bothered, and to reflect on what's happened.

It had been a month since school had started, she was alive, considering the mounds of homework that would come her way everyday. She would remind herself to kill the person that said that senior year would be the easiest year of high school. Maybe later it would be, but now it just sucked. She still had to deal with Noah, and he tried to bug her as much as possible, even trying at times to get back with her whenever her friends would be doing something else.

She and Danny, one of the cross country seniors, became good friends once again. Always during runs, usually at meets, besides having Will by her side (which would usually turn out into an all out sprint because of their competitive nature) she would explain to him what would be going on. The two always became good friends during the cross country season.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when someone tapped her shoulder, making her rip off her headphones and whip her head in the direction of the person tapping her. "Danny?"

"Ah, gosh, sorry if I disturbed you," He said as they both stopped, catching their breaths for a second before starting the other way back. He noticed her expression and wanted to run away as fast as possible.

After noticing who it was, she smiled, softening her features and began to run at a leisurely pace. "No problem, you just scared me."

"I'll make sure not to do that again," He said with a grin, then noticed her MP3 Player. "So what are you listening to today?"

"Jet, wanted to run like the wind and nothing makes you run like a cold hard bitch," She smirked, beginning to run faster and watching him keep the pace up.

After a second he finally got the pun, and shook his head. "Syd, now, if you even think that you are like that I'll have to knock you senseless."

"You know if you even try I would probably kill you."

"Good point," He noted, laughing shortly. "But anyway, you know Homecoming is coming up soon, right?"

"Three weeks and five days."

"Gosh, counting down?" Another laugh emitted from him.

"Trust me, when you're bored in Calculus, you do ridiculous things. I don't think I've gotten to the part yet where I bang my head on the desk of complete boredom," She said, waving to the freshmen that passed by. "I think we need to get them into top shape."

"No kidding, hell, when we were freshmen, we kicked ass in running."

"Because it's us!" Sydney smirked, slowing down once again. "So, what did you want to say earlier?"

Danny became silent, fear taking over him at what he was just about to ask Sydney. "Well, just wanted to know if you would...Like to go to Homecoming with me?"

She froze, her legs not being able to move anymore as she stopped right in front of another large house. He noticed, stopping soon afterwards and making his way back to her.

A large audible gulp came from his throat as he struggled with what to say to her sudden stop. "So?"

'_Um, uh, yes, but no? Gosh Damnit, you are messed up, Syd...JUST SAY YES! He's so nice, for fricking sakes! Just think of how nice he'll look in one of those suits.' _Sydney battled with herself. After looking at Danny for a few seconds, she cleared her throat, and he prepared himself for the worst.

"Yes."

**xxxxxxx**

Sydney sat on a bench at the pier a week after she accepted Danny's invitation to take her to Homecoming. Since then, she separated herself from society, not hanging out with her friends, and barely even talking to anyone from cross country. She really did not know what to do about going with him to the dance. Ever since Noah broke up with her, she decided she probably wasn't even going to go thinking of her own emotional well being. But then, she had to deal with Michael, not actually deal because he was so nice to her all this time. And now she just blocked him out of her life, only a few words spoken to them during all of their classes together.

Even Nadia tried to get to her, but Sydney refused to speak. Either locking herself up in her room or saying that she would go out for a run, which would turn out in her either going to the pier or the park and just thinking.

She knew why she was now acting this way, she wanted to go to Homecoming, but not with the guy she was going with now.

She stopped staring into the horizon when the weight suddenly shifted on the bench, and after a couple of seconds, she looked to where a person sat down. After gazing into his green eyes for what seemed forever, she looked forward once again, letting out a deep sigh.

"Syd, what's wrong? You've been avoiding everyone like we have a plague or something."

"It's nothing, Vaughn."

He knew it, every time she used his surname; something important was always on her mind. He didn't want to push her, but whatever was on her mind, straying her from everyone else, was driving him insane. "Please tell me."

She looked into his eyes again, showing compassion. She cleared her throat, sitting back on the bench. "I didn't know what to say."

His eyebrows knotted in confusion as he tried to figure out what she was saying. "To say to what or who?"

"Danny, a guy from cross country," She said, looking away again. She didn't want to meet his face at what she was about to say. "He asked me to the Homecoming Dance."

Michael's face fell and he slumped back onto the bench. His plans were officially ruined for waiting so long, and Nadia and Francie accused him of it.

"_Okay, Mike, are you going to ask her soon?" Francie questioned as she took a drink of her water, sitting on the couch, along with Nadia and Will._

_Michael just shrugged. "I do want to, but I want to take it slow. I don't want to make it seem that I want to date her so fast after she broke up with Noah."_

"_It's been a month," Nadia added in. "I know my sister pretty well; you should ask her, soon."_

"_Alright, I'll ask her tomorrow," Michael said, as he caved into their demands. Hopefully two weeks before the dance and she would still be date-free._

Now he knew the answer, tomorrow was officially today. And he was the idiot of the day; he should've known that any guy would've asked her, she was so beautiful.

"Michael?"

He nearly jumped at the simple calling of his name; he was so deep in his thoughts that he had Sydney looking at him, concerned. "Yeah?"

"You okay?" Her deep brown eyes showed caring, something he probably needed at the time.

'_Well, not exactly, Sydney. I was just about to ask you to the dance but instead I was a complete idiot and decided to wait too long, and someone has already asked you. How do you think I am?'_

"Good."

"Are you sure?" She asked, quietly, and placed a hand on his.

He stared at her hand over his, like it was the only thing that mattered on the Earth. "I don't even know anymore."

Giving his hand a squeeze, she wanted him to continue.

"Syd, gosh, I can't believe I'm about to say this," He sighed, looking up to her face. Then, in the distance, he saw someone jogging towards them. It took him a second to realize, but then he did, and it was Danny. Looking at her hand, he slid his own off from under hers. "Have a good time." He got up from the bench, walking away quickly.

"Vaughn!" Sydney shouted after him, but he continued his fast pace out of her sight. She looked the other direction and saw Danny coming closer to her. Now she had no idea what he was about to say, but the last words that came out of him, even a stranger could tell, was a lie.

"Hey Syd," Danny greeted as he finally approached her. "Want to go for a run?"

Smiling at his offer, she got up off of the bench. "Definitely."

She would need a run, a punching bag, and an Eric Weiss mixer to figure out what the hell was going on.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Since I'm so fricking tired and spent most of the night thinking of how to do the chapter, here you all go! I'll have review responses will be up in a bit, then sleep:D But thanks for the reviews! Thank gosh I didn't get any tomatoes thrown at me ;)

Expect a chapter early weekend (Thursday if there's enough reviews!) But enjoy this!

* * *

Sydney looked through the racks to find the perfect dress to wear to Homecoming. After telling Francie and Nadia, they invited themselves along on the trip to find a dress for her. 

_She stepped into the living room, looking completely exhausted, sweat gathered on her forehead. She still tried to regain her breathing when she looked at the two people in the living room, Francie and Nadia._

"_Syd, you run off ten pounds or something?" Francie asked with a grin._

"_No," Sydney answered abruptly. "I ran with Danny. After that, I ran some more. I had to come home, I told Vaughn, and I didn't know he'd react like this."_

"_What did you tell Vaughn?" Nadia asked as Sydney fell onto the couch before she was able to collapse on the floor._

"_That, I was going to Homecoming."_

_Francie and Nadia's interests peaked. "You're going with him!"_

"_No, I'm going with Danny."_

_The other two just sat there in shock._

Since then, a week had passed, and Nadia and Francie were their chipper selves. Even though they felt bad for Michael, Sydney had a life, and she was going with Danny, since Michael decided to wait too long.

"This one...Wow!" Francie said, showing a white strapless dress to the sisters. "Try it on, now," She ordered, thrusting the dress into Sydney's arms. Sydney just gave her a look before going off to the dressing room, coming out a minute later.

"You sure?" Sydney asked, looking down at the dress. She didn't like the way it fit on her.

"Never mind, bad impression," Francie mumbled as she shoved Sydney back into the small dressing room.

Sydney came back out, searching through the dresses once again. A certain dress caught her eye, and she snatched it and ran into the room before Francie or Nadia could stop her.

"Oh great, she'll only trust her choices now," Francie joked as Nadia just smirked, both waiting for Sydney to emerge.

Sydney came out a few minutes later, and both Francie and Nadia stood there, shocked. She wore a strapless lime dress. She turned to the side, showing off her defined legs, especially her left leg, in which the dress cut up to her thigh. The dress broke off into multiple layers when reaching her ankles, giving a great flared effect.

Francie and Nadia stood there, speechless, mouths open in appreciation at Sydney's choice. Finally, after moments of awe, Francie decided to speak up. "Sydney, I'm never ever going to choose a dress for you again, this...It's absolutely beautiful on you!"

"Same," The only word Nadia could squeak out. Sydney blushed furiously at the comment.

"Now let's find some shoes for these," Francie said as Sydney went back into the room to change back into her normal clothes. She came back out a minute later; dress draped over her left arm, and within an instant Francie was pulling her over to the shoes section.

Sydney was first to find a dazzling pair of shoes, a heel that was two and a half inches high, hopefully not able to kill her feet for the night. They were silver, the straps decorated in rhinestones, fitted with an ankle coil.

"Nadia, Francie, get your asses over here and check these out!"

In seconds, both girls were at Sydney's side, as she showed them both the shoes. Once again awe took over the two.

"Syd, I think I need your shopping sense," Francie blurted out as Sydney tried on the shoes.

"What do you think?" Sydney asked with a grin as she stood up, placing the dress to her body.

"I think every guy at Homecoming will be drooling like fools over you, besides our two," Nadia pointed out, and then broke into a full-on smile.

"Right, stop trying to make me feel oh-so special. But, Fran, did you schedule the hair appointment?" Sydney asked, changing the subject quickly before she was fully embarrassed.

"Yep, and nails too. You know me, sweetie, I called in two weeks ago," Francie grinned as Sydney took the shoes off and slipped into her sandals.

"Lets get this paid for," Sydney said as the three began to walk towards the checkout.

**xxxxxxx**

Spirit Week rolled around Carrington High two days later, and moods were brightened, especially since homework wasn't piled every night for each student. For Michael Vaughn, this week meant torture. Besides having to deal with girls flocking him every single minute, he had to be with Sydney every class.

"Okay, buddy; you know what I'm going to do?" Weiss asked as he stuffed himself with pizza.

"What's that?" Michael responded.

"I'm gonna set up a line after school today, the 'Who Wants to Be Michael Vaughn's Homecoming Date' tryout type thing."

Michael choked on his food and erupted into laughter. "I swear if you even dare to do that today I will kill you."

"Why?" Eric could only grin. "It's Wednesday, dude, Homecoming is Saturday, and you are going."

"Yes, sir," Michael smirked. "Anything else, Weiss?"

"Yes, meet me by my locker after school today, got it?"

"Yep."

**xxxxxxx**

"Okay, ladies, you are here for a once in a lifetime opportunity," Eric announced to the many girls that were in line. He wasn't joking what he said about doing this for Michael, and within the time of lunch and the end of school, he organized the whole thing, told everyone he knew. The news spread pretty fast, especially since there were about forty girls waiting. "To go to Homecoming with Michael Vaughn."

"The hottest guy alive!" One girl added in, in which many whistled and laughed their approvals.

"Yeah, whatever, I'm a guy so I don't express that kind of feeling," Weiss continued on, trying to ignore the catcalls that followed. "Let's get started with this."

A half hour into the 'Go to Homecoming with Michael Vaughn' contest, Sydney walked up from her ending her practice with cross country, looking on as Michael and Weiss proceeded to talk with a line of girls. She walked up to Weiss, earning some hated looks from the girls.

"Back of the line if you want him," One of the girls said as she waited.

"Him?" She laughed, pointing to Eric. She grabbed Eric by the arm, shoving him away from the line.

"Hi Syd," He said nervously, showing an obvious fake smile.

"What's all this?" She asked, pointing to the line and Michael.

"Oh, it's something I'm doing for Mike. He told me awhile ago he didn't have anyone to take for Homecoming, so I set this up. A lot more showed earlier, but the line just keeps on going."

Sydney cringed inwardly, not believing what Weiss had done, but also because she was one of the people to blame. She could end the whole charade right now, taking Michael away and give him a mind-staggering kiss to end all of the drama. But then, the drama would just begin, since she was going with Danny to the dance. Not like they were an official couple or anything, just a date to the dance.

A date. One dance. No harm done, right?

She growled, casting a glance to the line once again, seeing the all too familiar cheerleaders now in it. "I think I hate myself."

Eric gave her a look, trying to register what she said. "Uh, repeat that, please?"

"Eric, if I what I should have done, said no to Danny, or make Michael ask me before Danny did, none of this would be happening, and it would all be happily ever after," She spat out, sarcasm flowing through her voice.

"Sydney, ah gosh, just a second," Weiss sighed, walking over to some of the girls that were now surrounding Michael. "Okay, now, one at a time, do you people get the point?" The death glares he got were his response. "I swear," He started to mumble out a string of curse words as the line finally started up again, and decided to moderate the whole thing.

"That's _it_," She growled to herself, seeing a certain blonde she was never fond of, her name was Alice. A sunny and cheery personality to every guy she met, a cold bitch to every girl, except her cheerleading pals. And the thing Sydney hated most about her that she thought she ruled the school, telling all of her friends she was going to be Homecoming Queen, even though she was only a junior. Sydney walked over to Eric and Michael, grabbing the latter by his arm.

"Excuse me!" Alice hissed. "You better wait in line."

"Shut the hell up," Sydney shot at her, before turning to Michael. "What in the hell are you doing, listening to Weiss?"

Michael could only stand there, looking at her. "Well, I have been looking for a date, and I've failed miserably, so this was a last resort."

"Wonderful," Sydney sighed, looking at Eric before back at Michael. "Have fun with this."

"Syd, wait!" Michael yelled, but Sydney was already walking off to her car. He looked to Alice and sighed, continuing with the torture session.

"Name?" Weiss asked to another blonde, not Alice, and they all were relieved at that fact.

"Lauren Reed," The girl said, sighing at the whole process.

"Mike, Lauren, one minute, go," Eric said as they exchanged greetings. First he was casual with Michael doing all the introductions, but since an hour had passed by, he had gotten annoyed at the vast amount of girls wanting to be Michael's date.

"So, you a senior?" Michael asked absentmindedly, forgetting how many times he asked that question to others.

"Yeah, dateless, not the greatest thing in the world. Just came to the United States when I was a junior, during the middle of the year, but I guess I was blessed because the first person I met was Sydney Bristow."

Michael's interest peaked immediately at her name. "Me too, during the summer I came here from France."

"I guess you have an advantage, then," Lauren said with a smile. "Never a good thing to come to a new school during the year."

"Had to do that once, I know how it feels. So, you know Sydney?" He asked, trying to change the subject to something, or someone else he knew.

"Yeah, we're friends. But we haven't talked that much lately, with homework, and her in cross country, and my dad is trying to force all this government stuff on me. He's the Senator."

"Oh, that must be fun," Michael showed a grin before he saw Weiss approaching. "Nice meeting you, Lauren," He said, extending his hand.

She noticed Eric and shook his hand, a smile on her face. "You too, Michael."

"Okay, time's up, next person," Weiss said as Lauren smiled, nodding her head briefly before walking away.

"Weiss, we're done," Michael said as he chased after Lauren, gently grabbing her arm when he reached her. The sudden hand on her arm caused her to turn and look into his eyes. "Would you like to go to Homecoming with me? But, just as friends." He asked while letting go of her arm.

"Yeah," She smiled. "I have to go, but thanks."

He could only smile as she walked away, but when she was out of sight, he sighed. The only reason he decided to ask her was because of the connection to Sydney. Now, he only hoped, Sydney wouldn't kill him for what he had done.

---------

For pics of Sydney's dress and shoes, they'll be up on the LJ or you can e-mail me or IM me asking for them.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Woot! You guys kick ass! (and Aryn's back! yay:D) Since there was more than enough reviews...Here is the chapter! The responses will be up on the LJ, like usual now! And, if you need to see the dress, it's also up on there. :)

Another update will either come Sunday or Monday...Enjoy your weekend:)

* * *

The seniors in homeroom sat anxiously as announcements were played through the speakers.

"Alright, now what everyone has been waiting for, the Homecoming Court!"

Everyone quieted in the room as they listened intently.

"Starting off first with our freshmen couple..."

The seniors groaned, wanting to get to their class and not have to wait. At least a minute went by to where the freshmen couple was announced, the two sophomore couples, and the three junior couples, which included Alice.

"And now for the senior couples...Sydney Bristow and Will Tippin,"

Sydney looked up from some writing she was doing, momentarily stunned from her name being called. And with Will? Oh, was she going to have a blast.

"Syd?"

"Michael?"

"Congrats."

She grinned, listening on to the announcements as they announced the last couple.

"And the last couple of the seniors are...Lauren Reed and Michael Vaughn! Congratulations to all of the couples, Homecoming King and Queen voting will take place tomorrow."

"Michael?"

"Yeah?"

"Congrats."

He could only laugh this time, shaking his head as the bell rang to signify first period.

**xxxxxxx**

"So how happy are you to be on the Homecoming Court?"

"Um, hello, Will, I'm fricking ecstatic. Trust me; since I found out yesterday, people would think I've been on speed. Now please tell me you voted for me for Queen?"

He laughed, and couldn't help but to grin. "Of course, like I would vote for anyone else besides one of my best friends? But let me ask you, Bristow, did you vote for me?"

"That's one secret I'm keeping to myself," Sydney replied with a sly grin.

The two stood along the line of the Homecoming Court in the middle of the football game: the Carrington Royals vs. the Phoenix Eagles.

"You suck," He joked, earning an arm to the side, effectively making him go 'oof!' "But are you ready, they're about to announce us!" He said like a little giddy school girl, which had her laughing.

"Oh hell yes I am, my queen," She said, looping her arm through his as they walked across the fifty yard line as their names were announced. Many cheers followed, along with catcalls and whistles.

"You know," He whispered as they made their way to where the other couples stood, as another senior couple was announced. "I could hit you with this stick if I wanted to."

She showed a great, beaming, fake smile for him. "You know, you try and I will break you into two."

"Yes Miss Bristow," He choked out and laughed afterwards.

Sydney looked towards the field as the last couple was being called, Michael and Lauren. She stood there, ignoring all the whistles and cheering coming from the crowd and gazed at him.

"You know, for once I didn't vote for myself to be Homecoming King," Will said discreetly, snapping Sydney out of her gaze.

"What does that mean?"

"I think you know what it means," He said with a smile, leading Sydney to just lean her head over to the side in confusion, before the announcer announced once again the Homecoming Court.

**xxxxxxx**

"You know, I'd rather be between two pipes with a net attached," Weiss complained as he stood uncomfortable waiting for the last two people to arrive for pictures, Michael and Lauren.

"True, but I'd be skating," Will added in, earning a smack from Francie.

"If you guys even think about ditching us at Homecoming, I will personally kill you two myself," Francie threatened, making Nadia, Sydney, and Danny laugh.

"Hey now, Danny, wouldn't you agree? Hockey over the dance?" Will asked.

"Well," Danny began, looking at Sydney who shot him one of the famous death glares. "She'd kill me, plus hockey isn't really my sport."

"Ah, yes, runner boy," Eric joked around, and then looked to the parents and the family of them all. "You know, I think they're getting a kick out of us."

"Good, because when Vaughn comes around, if he even does, I am going to kick his ass," Sydney said, and just after her words came out of her mouth, both Michael and Lauren emerged from the house.

"Sorry we're late," Michael announced as he and Lauren walked over to the group. "I didn't know she'd take so long."

"Don't even," Lauren said with a laugh.

"Lauren!" The three girls shrieked at once, hugging Lauren and sharing compliments over the dresses.

"Okay, can we please start this paparazzi fest so I can eat in the next day or two?" Eric pleaded as everyone nodded.

The first pictures that were taken were the couples, girls in front, guys behind. The second and third were for the girls alone, then the boys alone.

"Gosh, you guys can't look mean to save your lives," Francie said as the guys posed for their picture. All the girls busted out laughing in reaction to her comment.

"How about we get the Homecoming Court together?" Irina asked as she snapped away with her camera.

"Of course, 'cause I'm in it!" Will said proudly, gaining an arm into his stomach, from Sydney. She could only grin as she and Will posed for the camera, along with Michael and Lauren.

The hour and a half came quickly, and the Homecoming dance was underway. The girls had to drag their dates onto the floor when the first song they heard come on, the Electric Slide. Even though by the end of the song, the whole gym was in tune, all of the students and teachers involved in the dance. Weiss definitely got into it, doing ridiculous moves between the steps to have everyone laughing at him.

The mood changed when a slow song came on, and the couples paired up. Sydney danced with Danny, letting her head rest on his shoulder comfortably.

Michael danced with Lauren, not being able to look at the girl in his arms, but instead the girl that had his heart. He watched silently, thinking of what it would be like to have Sydney in his arms. He was mesmerized by her, and didn't even notice that the song changed to a rap song, having Weiss break out into another ridiculous dance.

An hour went by, and they all had taken their official pictures for Homecoming, now waiting as the DJ was on the microphone.

"Are you all ready!" The DJ asked the crowd as the students yelled their response. "First off, hats off to the Royals football team for kicking the Eagles asses last night!" Cheers followed. "Now enjoy the Cha Cha Slide..."

Francie laughed when she heard the selection. "Come on guys, this has to be one of the best songs! Get out there!" She yelled, shoving Weiss and Will onto the floor while everyone else followed. Soon, the whole dance floor was in rhythm to the dance steps, listening to what was coming next. The guys seemed to enjoy the view every time the 'cha cha' was done, whistling their approval.

"That was great, you guys can actually dance!" Nadia said happily as the whole group stood around, drinking their beverages.

"You know it," Eric said, straightening his suit, and then spun on his heel, brushing off his shoulder afterwards.

"You have to encourage him?" Will groaned, laughing at his friend's dancing. He checked the time on one of the walls and froze, then to the stage where a couple stood, waiting for the music to end. "Syd, I think we have to go!"

"Oh shit," She laughed out, grabbing Will and Lauren's arms as she began to walk quickly to the entrance of the gym. Lauren had grabbed onto Michael's hand right before they parted away from the group.

"Finally, we thought we would be missing two of the senior couples. Now that wouldn't look good, will it?" A senior asked with a grin as he tapped his stick impatiently.

"Shut it, Steve," Will replied with a smile on his face.

"I still can't believe it," Steve's date, Aryn, also the second half of the third senior couple, blurted out. "They let the juniors in on the voting for the King and Queen. I swear if one of the girls wins I will rip off their heads."

"I'll do it first," Sydney said with an evil glint in her eye, her face lighting up. "The tradition needs to continue here, I tell you."

"Eh em, if we could have your attention," The senior guy who was standing on the stage announced when the music finished. All the attention was diverted to him. "We would like to announce the Homecoming Court of Carrington High."

Cheers erupted as they announced the first and only freshmen couple, mostly from the freshmen themselves. The two sophomore couples were announced next. Following them were the three junior couples, as Sydney and Will anxiously waited for their named to be called first.

"And introducing the first senior couple, Sydney Bristow and Will Tippin."

Sydney and Will walked down the line to the stage, her arm linked through his. She couldn't have had a bigger smile on her face as she saw Eric, Danny, Nadia, and Francie waiting, Nadia and Francie armed with cameras.

"Go Syd!" Weiss yelled out among the clapping and whistled loudly. Nadia smacked him playfully on the arm, and then continued to take pictures. Will and Sydney made it to the stage, standing on one side of the platform as they waited for the rest of the seniors.

"And the last senior couple for the Court, Lauren Reed and Michael Vaughn."

Sydney watched as Michael began his walk down the aisle, Lauren at his arm. She couldn't help but to wonder what it would be like to have herself walking next to him down the aisle, to have him as her date and to dance the night away like there was no tomorrow. She sighed, looking down for a moment.

Will heard her sigh, despite all the clapping that filled the air. "Syd, you okay?"

"Guess I'm good, just a little nervous," She said, hoping to avoid the topic.

"You know, you should just be his date for the rest of the night."

Sydney's face whipped around to look at him, not believing what he just said. "And what about Danny?"

"The guy's nice, and plus, he told me he could tell the attraction you and Mike had."

"Make sure I let Danny win the next time we run together," She said with a smile, turning back to the crowd, and could hear Will laughing.

"Like that would ever happen," Will laughed out as Michael and Lauren made their way on stage.

"Now, what you've all been waiting for, who will be Homecoming King and Queen?"

Several students shouted out junior and senior names as the rest waited as patiently as they could.

"Alright then, lets begin with your Homecoming King of 2005," The guy said, opening an envelope to pull out the sheet. "Michael Vaughn!"

Several female screams could be heard from the audience as Michael nearly fainted on the spot when he heard his name. Once he could move his legs, he stepped off of the platform and to a waiting senior announcer, who gave Michael the King's stick.

"So, who will be his Queen?" The girl asked into the microphone as the students began to shout out names. She heard a large 'Alice!' coming from the juniors and shot them a look, before opening the envelope and pulling out the paper. "Sydney Bristow!"

"What!" Sydney shockingly said.

Will gave her a squeeze on the hand before letting go. "Have fun!"

She laughed at Will, before looking straight in front of her to see the students cheering their approval. Walking as steady as she could to the girl, she received the tiara and stepped over to Michael. She smiled nervously, not believing this could even _happen_. Once she reached Michael, he held out his arm, which she graciously accepted, as the Court pictures were taken.

"Now, the Homecoming King and Queen dance."

Michael led her down the stairs as they reached the dance floor, a large circle allowed as the aisle still remained so the students at the front of the gym could see.

'Delicate' by Damien Rice began to flow through the speakers. Sydney sighed happily, wrapping her arms around his neck as he placed his hands gently at her hips. They swayed to the soft words before Michael began to whisper into her ear.

"Ironic, isn't it?"

"Definitely," She said in the equally quiet tone, leaning into him to inhale his scent. She closed her eyes and couldn't help at the smile that crept onto her face.

"Syd, I'm sorry about that whole thing Wednesday."

She opened her eyes to look up into his, showing a true smile. "Not your fault, I said yes to Danny," She could notice his body tense up at his name, but relax immediately. "Plus, Eric was just trying to be a good friend."

"That likes to torture me," He added in with a smirk playing on his lips. "But I am sorry. I saw how hurt you were when you left. I just didn't want to do that to you."

She couldn't believe it; he was apologizing for doing the logical thing. She felt tears form in her eyes when he expressed her emotions that were felt that day, but quickly blinked them away. "I'm going to kill Will."

This sudden confession caused him to laugh as he continued the slow motions with her. He then saw Noah in the distance, pissed off as ever, and smiled in his own little victory. "Why would you do that?"

"Because the smartass is always right," She mumbled into his jacket, trying to hold in her giggles which escaped anyway. He couldn't help but to laugh along quietly with her outburst.

They fell into a comfortable silence, no words needing to be spoken in the moment.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: 'Ello everyone! Glad you all loved Homecoming! It was a blast (and took some time) to write! So here is the newest chapter, and the responses are at my livejournal:)

* * *

"_Mom, you said we could have a party here for Homecoming, right?"_

"_Yes, just as long if anyone drinks, they don't drive. And, oh, that the house has to be spotless by midnight the next day."_

"_Yes, mom," Sydney grinned, telling her sister that the party would be on._

It was only an hour after the Homecoming Dance, and the Bristow residence was full of high school students. Juniors and seniors flooded the house, the rooms, the basement, and outside in the backyard. There was alcohol, tons of alcohol at the party, but Irina had managed from every student that was drinking that they were either staying or getting a designated driver home.

"Can you believe this?" Sydney asked with a laugh as she looked around her backyard, hearing music being blared inside the house.

"Mom is _the_ coolest," Nadia replied with a grin, taking a drink of her mixer that Eric made for her awhile ago.

"Syd!" The sisters looked in the direction of where Sydney's name was being called from. Once they saw who it was, both looked at the blonde uninterested. "Congrats on being Homecoming Queen!"

"Thanks Alice," Sydney said, taking a drink to cover up her sneer.

"But we all know who should've been it," Another girl from the junior group said.

Both Sydney and Nadia looked at each other, sharing equally shocked faces. The party was loud, but not loud enough, and the junior girls must've been deaf if they thought the two seniors couldn't hear it or, anyone around them for that matter.

"Excuse me," Sydney rose from her seat, her blood beginning to boil. "What did you say?"

"Oh, we all know Alice should've been the Queen. I mean, come on!" The same girl said in her whiny voice.

"Uh, right," Nadia coughed out as she stood up next to Sydney.

"So, how about that Michael guy? I heard he's still single, Alice," Another one of the girls said, completely ignoring the sisters' presence.

"Definitely, if I could just find him," Alice said, looking around to see if Michael was around.

As if on cue, Michael showed up on the other side of the pool, and unfortunately, Alice was the first to spot him.

"Michael!" She yelled out, gaining the attention of him. He looked in the girls' direction, turned back to one of the hockey guys he was talking to, gave a nod goodbye, and then walked over to the group.

"What's up?" He asked as the junior girls made a circle around him. He took a large gulp of his Pepsi, not liking the current situation he was in.

"Well, I was wondering, my dad's company picked up these great seats for the Dodgers game in the playoffs, I was wondering if you'd like to go?"

His eyebrow shot up at her offer, his throat going dry in a nervous fashion as he ran his hand through his hair. His interest began to peak though as he heard someone shouting and making their way through the crowd.

"Move out of the way! Bitch coming through to save a dreaded man! MOVE IT! And hey now, no grabbing! None of that here! MOVE!"

Finally seeing who it was, he cracked a smile as she pushed her way through the junior girls. Francie took a deep breath, looking at all of the girls, then at Michael.

"There you are! I swear, thirty minutes searching through the house and you're out here!" She yelled over the noise, and began to laugh at the junior's expressions.

"Excuse me, bitch...I think I had him first," Alice growled out.

"Well, excuse me, corporate whore, you won't be getting any out of this man," Francie stated, grabbing Michael by the arm. "Besides, his _queen_ wants him," A sly smirk showed on her face as she walked off with Michael, to where Sydney was now talking with another one of her cross country friends out in the grass.

"Thanks Francie," Michael replied with a grin on his face.

"No problem and half of that crap was made up. Just, don't even talk to her."

"Gotcha," Michael smiled. "So the _queen_ needed to talk to me?" He asked, emphasizing the word 'queen' to where it caught Sydney's attention. She turned around, a big grin on her face.

"Well, I wanted to get to you before Alice did."

"Taken care, Syd!" Francie yelled happily, and sloppily saluted the both. "Now, I'm going to go find Eric and Will and get trashed. See you both in the morning!" She yelled as she walked off.

"Let me guess, she saved your ass back there?" Sydney asked while laughing.

"You should've heard what she said, no wonder why you guys are best friends," He said as their eyes met. "But, you have something to tell me?"

"Oh, nope," She replied with an innocent tone and an equal smile. "I just didn't want anybody chasing around my king for the night."

**xxxxxxx**

Sydney yawned as she felt air breeze past her face. Opening one of her eyes, she was met by the morning light. Her eyes bugged out, and she realized she was in her backyard, along with about fifty other people. She looked down at her waist, noticing added light weight, and saw an arm lazily draped over. As she turned her head, she groaned, then jumped as she realized who's arm that was.

It was Michael's, and he was snoring pleasantly, until she decided to jump. He stirred himself back into consciousness, jumping when he saw Sydney next to him.

"What the hell?" They both said at the same time.

"Screw it, later," Sydney said, raising her hand to cover up her mouth as a yawn escaped. She lifted her body to a sitting position, and he did the same. "What time is it?"

He glanced at his watch. "Seven...In the morning," He groaned, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh, fun," She sarcastically replied, looking around at the people, then watched as he stood up. She gave him a look, wanting help up, and he did, grabbing her hand and yanking her up into a standing position. He could only grin when she glared at him. "Come on; let's see how many people are in the house."

"After you," He said, following as they began to walk through the maze of people. Finally making their way inside, they couldn't even _move_. Students were sprawled out everywhere, lying on tables, leaning on chairs and counters, somehow being able to sleep on the stools at the island. She looked to Michael, who showed a puzzled expression, as they both began to make their way carefully into the living room. As if it was even possible, even more people were sleeping. The couch held at least five people, crammed together like sardines, and in each loveseat two people, sitting at an uncomfortable position.

"I don't think I'm even going to look downstairs," Sydney said as she looked at Michael again.

"I don't blame you," He said, letting out a light laugh.

"Oh my God."

Both Sydney and Michael jumped as they turned to see Irina looking at them, shocked.

"Hi mom," Sydney greeted with an innocent grin.

"Sydney, midnight, spotless," Irina warned before making her way through the mess of people and to the front door. "I'll be back home in an hour; I need to restock the fridge."

Both Sydney and Michael waved as she exited out the front door. As soon as the door clicked shut he turned to her. "Uh, spotless?"

"Yeah," Sydney gulped. "By midnight tonight this house has to be completely spotless, or my mom will have all of our asses."

"Great!" He couldn't help but to laugh. "But I feel like going back to sleep."

"Me too, let's see if there's anything empty," She said, walking to the stairs. She looked up at them and laughed, people were sleeping _on the stairs_.

"Yep, I'm saying the exact same thing," Michael said before she could say a word. They both headed upstairs, noticing the hall was full of sleeping people. They both began to wonder if the whole junior and senior class just decided to stay at the house.

"I wonder how many people are actually going to show up to school tomorrow," She wondered aloud, and could hear him groan behind her. She couldn't help but to laugh as she opened up the door to her room. "Oh shit! It's empty! Yes!" She squealed happily, running over to her bed and launching herself onto it, despite the headache that still lurked.

"Uh, Syd," He stammered out, standing in her doorway.

"I don't give a shit," She answered his nerves away as he let out a breath that he didn't even know he was holding. He got onto her bed, lying down and falling asleep within an instant.

However, for Sydney, when he just got down on the bed, she was wide awake. Michael Vaughn was in her bed.

_In. Her. Bed._

She smacked herself as thoughts crept into her mind, taking over any plans of sleep she could've had. But then she finally gave into her temptations, partially, and looked at his sleeping form. He still had on his dress pants but a white t-shirt, and she let her gaze linger at his well-toned arms, and then at his chest, watching it fall and rise smoothly.

Looking at his peaceful figure, she felt her eyes beginning to close as sleep took over.

**xxxxxxx**

At noon, the partygoers had finally cleared out, the only people that were left were Will, Eric, Michael, Francie, Nadia, and Sydney. They all stood in the living room, each sighing at the sight before them.

"We're screwed, aren't we?" Will asked as he felt like running away from the house to skip cleaning.

"Just about," Sydney replied, rubbing her head. "Okay, how about this. Will, you and Francie start on the backyard. Nadia and Eric, start downstairs, me and Vaughn will start doing the living room and kitchen."

"Deal!" The rest yelled and ran off.

Michael and Sydney decided to work on the kitchen first, deciding it would be the easiest. They were dead wrong, the meaning of the word spotless smacking them upside the head when they began to clean. Two hours later they were still trying to clean off the mess created on the large counter.

The doorbell rang, bringing them out of a 'cleaning daze.' Sydney looked to Michael as she began to walk to the door, a large garbage bag in her hand as she attempted to pick up some of the cups and bottles. Michael helped her, and she reached the door, scrambling to pick up beer cans and throw them into the bag before opening the door.

The person on the other side of the door left her stunned, the garbage bag slipping out of her grip and landing on the floor, some of the glass bottles breaking under the force.

"Dad?"

"Oh my," The only words he let slip from his mouth as he looked at her appearance, then the house, then the boy next to her, an equal look of shock on his face.

"Aren't you supposed to be, um, _working_?"

Jack sighed. "Yes, honey, but today I thought I would stop by and say congratulations, I heard about you at the dance."

"Thanks," She squeaked out, and then finally remembered Michael was standing right next to her. "Oh, um, dad, this is Michael."

Jack stepped into the house, and when Michael extended his hand, Jack accepted, shaking his hand and having an extreme grip before he let go.

"_MOM_!"

Irina came down the stairs when she heard Sydney, seeing Jack first when she entered the hallway and skidded to a stop. "Jack."

"Irina."

"Yeah, big party last night," Sydney added after a few moments of silence to hopefully cut the tension.

"I can tell," He said in a calm voice, still keeping his eyes on Irina.

"Let's go clean up, okay Vaughn?" Sydney motioned toward the kitchen, and nodding his head quickly, they walked as fast as they could into the kitchen.

"So that's your dad?" Michael asked once they were safe from the ears of Jack Bristow.

"Yeah," Sydney laughed at how nervous he was, seeing his forehead wrinkles showing and a couple beads of sweat going down his face.

He gulped, wiping the sweat away from his face. "I think he wants to kill me."

She gave him a look and busted out into laughter. "He does that to every guy he meets. You should've seen how scared Eric and Will were when they met him."

"Now I know why," He said while frowning and began to finish cleaning up the kitchen.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Hey guys, so sorry about the wait. My grandpa passed away on Friday, and I wasn't that inspired to write for awhile. But here it is, and gives in to some requests. ;) Responses are on the LJ, like always! (der...;))

* * *

"So what was all of that about, anyway?" Michael asked as he and Sydney began to work on the living room. It was two hours later, and he had finally gotten the nerve to ask about her parents.

She looked up at him, stopping the digging through the couch to find whatever could be found. "My parents are divorced. Right after I was born, my mom had an affair with this guy named Arvin Sloane, he and my dad were...are still friends, met at the CIA a long time ago. My dad found out about the affair six years later, and had the divorce. And Nadia, she's Arvin's daughter, so we're only half-sisters. Even though I hate Arvin Sloane to death because of what he did to my parents, I love my sister that much more. I don't think I could've lived an only child."

He stood there, a few seconds to let everything register. After the thinking he still couldn't muster anything else but an 'Oh.'

"Just, don't tell anyone, okay? Will, Eric, Francie, they know, but that's it."

He nodded. "So where does your dad work?"

"He exports plane parts, and that's all he tells me," She said, beginning to dig through the couch cushions before getting frustrated and throwing them off. "He's usually gone for about a week at a time, and he told me Thursday he was going to be gone. That's why I was shocked when he came to the front door."

"I would be, too," He said, helping her take off the couch cushions, and then throwing away the food that was under. "How long does it take those four to clean the basement and backyard?"

"Trust me, forever. I know outside looked like hell when I woke up, and the basement probably does too. You know maybe I should ask my mom if I can just be sick tomorrow."

"Hah, good luck trying. I called my mom and she gave me an earful, even after I told her I was helping to clean up all day," He answered with a grin, as they both put the cushions back on the couch.

"Your mom, you know...I have never heard you talking about your family. Or hey, even about your house."

"Well," He shifted his feet. "It's because I'm always over here! Plus, my family is nuts. I got two sisters, _twins_. They're twelve, and drive me up the wall."

"I bet," Sydney said with a smirk. "What about your mom?"

"She's awesome. I love her so much, she was so strong after my dad died," He paused, going into his thoughts before he gulped and continued. "She cooks everything, and loves the crafts. She's like super mom, I guess, but you have to be when there are twins involved."

"I have got to meet your sisters!"

"They want to meet you," He said without thinking, then hit himself on the forehead for letting his mouth go.

"They do?" She grinned, now wanting to bug him about it. She stopped picking up cans and sat down on the sofa, looking up at him. "You talk about me, huh?"

He turned red out of embarrassment, letting out a nervous laugh. "Maybe a few things, here and there."

"A few things?" She teased, crossing her arms over her chest.

He nodded, and then turned away from her to pick up more trash. "Come on, I really want to be done by midnight."

"Oh you are so not getting past me by changing the subject, Vaughn," She warned with a smile playing across her face. "But, I guess once is fine."

**xxxxxxx**

The warning bell rang in the morning at school for the students to get into their classes. Both Sydney and Vaughn walked into the classroom, each looking like hell. Mr. Dixon looked up from his papers and let out a short laugh.

"Sydney, think you can watch my kids tonight?"

"Sure," She drawled out, then sat down in her seat and slammed her head on the desk, falling asleep. Vaughn followed suit, but this time putting his arms on the desk so he wouldn't get a headache like Sydney probably would.

All six sat at the lunch table, looking at their food like it was from another planet, except for Weiss, who was happily eating away. All of them were still tired from the long day they had before, finishing right before the clock struck midnight.

"Do you think mom's happy with the house?" Nadia asked while picking at her food, then sliding it over to Eric, who accepted happily.

"She better be. All fricking day we spent cleaning up the house. I think _I_ will freak out if there's a speck of dust somewhere," Sydney answered while taking a drink of her soda.

"She did look pretty shocked when she saw the place," Will added in, and then looked at his shoulder where Francie had fallen asleep on.

"Well you guys are lucky; I got to look over Dixon's kids tonight," Sydney said and sighed, just wanting to sleep until tomorrow.

"Have fun with that, then," Nadia said, earning a glare from her sister.

Sydney and Michael sat in French 4, their last class of the day. Not even interested in what the teacher was saying, they began to talk to each other.

"So Syd, you're going to be babysitting tonight?" He asked while writing down in his planner.

"Uh huh, why'd you ask?"

"Well, since hockey practice was cancelled for tonight, mind if I tag along?"

"Sure, but I get most of the money," She said with a smirk.

He pouted, and let out a laugh afterwards. "Oh, fine."

**xxxxxxx**

"You're not scared, are you?" Sydney asked as she and Michael stepped outside of her house, going over to her car to head over to Dixon's house to watch the kids.

"Me? Scared? Nah, it's just that he's my history teacher, I don't know him as well as you, and that right now after with your dad yesterday I'm pretty freaked out," Michael answered as he opened the passenger side to her car. "Now, let me ask again, why can't we take my truck?"

"Because, as I already said, I'm driving, and you said that I can't drive your truck," She said while starting up the car.

"You could've given me directions!" He said, throwing his hands up in mock defeat as they started their way to the Dixon house.

"Oh, stop complaining," She said with a smirk.

"Fine," He looked out the window as they came to a stop at a streetlight, and then turned to her. "So where are the Dixon's going?"

"Why, you thinking you're gonna get some?" She teased, and saw his jaw drop, and his face turn red. 'Sydney Bristow-2, Michael Vaughn-0,' She thought and grinned.

"Ha, um, uh," He stuttered, swallowing down a lump that went at his throat.

"It's okay Vaughn," She patted his shoulder before placing her hand back on the steering wheel.

"Thanks," He grumbled, resting his head on the window. "Make me feel even better about going to look over my History teacher's kids."

She chuckled, turning the steering wheel to make a turn into the neighborhood. "It's not like he's going to hire somebody to kill you if you do a thing wrong."

"Yeah, when I see somebody following me around, let me be the one to hit you upside the head."

"Gladly, but you should ask Will if you even want to try. He knows how it feels when he says that to me."

He gulped, his eyes widening as he looked at her. "Do I even want to know?"

"Nope."

They arrived at the Dixon residence five minutes later, and Mr. and Mrs. Dixon greeted them both at the door.

"I hope you don't mind, I brought along my friend-"

"Michael!" Mr. Dixon smiled, shaking his hand. "It's all good. This is my wife, Diane."

"Nice to meet you," Michael said with a smile, nodding his head at her.

"You too, and from what I heard, you're a pretty good student in Marcus's class," She said, smiling back at him.

"I try to be," Michael said with a fake grin.

"Well, we're off now, thank you guys," Mr. Dixon said as they headed off down the driveway. Once they were out of sight, Sydney punched Michael in the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" He asked, rubbing his arm.

"That's for sucking up to him," She said with a smirk as they walked inside. "Let's see, where are Steven and Robin..."

"In here!" Steven yelled from the living room. Both Sydney and Michael walked into the living room, seeing Robin sitting at the computer desk, talking with her friends over the internet, and Steven watching a Dodgers game.

"Oh, what's the score?" Michael asked as he took a seat, immediately being warped by the game.

"Dodgers are winning, 4-1," Steven informed. "Who are you?"

"He's my friend, Michael Vaughn," Sydney said as she began to walk into the kitchen. "You three want anything?"

"Soda!" Steven, Robin, and Michael yelled as she reached the kitchen, laughing as she got three Mountain Dews and went back into the living room, tossing them each one.

"So what time do you think your parents will be home?" Sydney asked as she sat down on the loveseat.

"I think dad said around 11 or so, I know he told us they'd be late," Robin said as she continued to type on the keyboard at a rapid speed.

"Fun, you guys want to go to the Pier in a bit?"

"Yeah!" Steven and Robin answered immediately.

"Let's go," Sydney said with a grin, as she got up, watching Robin turn off the computer and rush to get her shoes on, while Steven turned off the game, getting up and putting on his shoes. They grabbed their sodas and headed outside, Sydney making sure she had a key and locked up the house, then went to where everyone was waiting in her car.

"The Pier? Why'd you decide here?" Michael asked Sydney once they were at the Pier, watching Steven and Robin play at the games.

"Because, this is the easiest way to get them tired and wanting to go to bed early," She said with a smile as she watched the two.

"Hey Vaughn! I bet I can beat you at basketball!" Steven yelled from his spot next to games.

"You wish!" Michael yelled back and laughed, and walked over to the free throw booth. "Prepare for a lesson," He said, handing over the money and taking the basketball.

He made all three of his shots, and then looked over at Steven. "Have fun, kiddo."

"You're in for an awakening, man," Steven said as he paid for his three shots, making each one easily, having Vaughn to look on in amazement.

"I'm happy I didn't bet on this one," Michael said through gritted teeth, then went back to Sydney, who was watching, amused with the situation. "What?"

"I could've told you that he's good at basketball," She said, crossing her arms over her chest and smiling at him.

"I like to learn first hand," He said, equally returning a smile and just looking at her. "Since those two are preoccupied, you want to get some ice cream?"

"Ice cream?" Her smile grew as her face brightened. "I'll watch over Steven and Robin, go get me a coffee ice cream, please."

"Alright," He said, laughing to himself and shaking his head over her decision, then walking away to an ice cream stand.

"Hope you don't mind," Michael said as he came back a few minutes later, two Ben & Jerry's little ice cream pints in his hands. "I got these."

"Hello! Ben & Jerry's! You're the best!" She grinned, taking the coffee ice cream when he offered it to her, the spoon with it. "You got strawberry?"

"Yeah," He said, looking down at his ice cream pint. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," She smirked, taking a spoonful of her coffee ice cream and sighing in delight.

**xxxxxxx**

Marcus and Diane Dixon came into an eerie quiet house; the only noise that was emitting sound was the television on in the house. Looking at each other, they approached the living room to see all four asleep. Steven and Robin were at Sydney's sides, while Michael lay out on the floor, his head resting on a pillow that was on Sydney's feet.

"Sydney," Marcus said quietly as he stepped towards her, giving her a gentle shake on the shoulder to wake her up.

"Yeah?" She asked, slowly coming out of her sleep. Looking up to see who it was, she could only laugh. "Hey Dixon."

"Tired?"

"A bit, we went to the pier, always does it," She whispered, and lifted her feet, effectively waking Michael up and causing him to lift his body into a sitting position.

"Hey Mr. Dixon," He mumbled out as he leaned against the coffee table for support, immediately feeling his back stiffen at the movement.

"Hey Michael. You two should probably head home, it's already eleven," He said, getting out his wallet to hand Sydney the money.

Sydney's eyes bugged out when she heard the time, getting off of the couch quickly, nearly falling back when her muscles worked slower than expected.

The two teenagers made it out to her car after saying goodbye to Diane and Marcus, both sighing when they got into the comfortable seats.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to do this again," She said, slowly starting up the car and driving out into the street.

"Do what?" He asked with a grin, seeing how far he could push her limits.

She glared at him when the car stopped at an intersection. "You know what I'm saying."

"I do?" His look of innocence might've gotten other people to believe him, but not Sydney.

"Never mind," She said, looking at the light, waiting as patiently as she could for it to turn green.

Michael could only grin, but then his face turned serious when he looked away from her.

He wanted to ask her, soon. This time he wouldn't be so stupid and wait so long.


	13. Chapter 13

Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait once again. I was going to get it up sooner, but when I came back from my dad's house (the Cardinals won the game! woot woot:D) the internet was cancelled. But now all is good, and I'm hip happy again.

Oh, and review responses AND spoilers will be up at the LiveJournal. I know Aryn wanted to shoot me when she saw them. ;)

But enjoy! Spoilers will be posted probably within the next few days:)

* * *

Michael Vaughn sat on a chair, barely being able to keep himself in a sitting position. To say that he was nervous would be the understatement of the year. The man was terrified, but in the good way.

He was about to marry the woman of his dreams, Sydney Bristow.

Getting out of his chair, he paced around the small tent nervously, straightening his tux every few seconds. He heard a noise, shifting of sand, and turned towards the entrance, seeing his best man Eric Weiss standing there, arms folded, and a cocky grin showing on his face.

"You nervous?"

"No shit," Michael snorted, beginning to pace once again as he ran his hands through his hair. For the umpteenth time he straightened his tux before Eric grunted.

"Mike, why are you so scared? You're marrying Sydney, the love of your life. Plus, I'm here to make sure you just don't completely break down."

"That's why; I don't want her to regret this. I love her so much; I'd do absolutely _anything_ for her. Gosh, I even remembered when I proposed to her, like it was yesterday."

"Yeah, I remember you telling me, you're in that mood again," Eric said with a grin as he left, leaving Michael to his thoughts.

_Michael smiled, watching Sydney who was gazing at the setting sun over the horizon of the water. It was perfect, he was actually able to find a beach secluded in France, at dusk._

"_Vaughn, this is perfect," She said, turning to look at him._

"_Yeah," He said, returning the look. His hands were in his pockets, playing with the wallet in one pocket and the box in the other. "Syd, I want to tell you something."_

_She looked at him, quizzically. She couldn't read his face; the only thing that she could tell was the love showing in his eyes. The green eyes that captured her the first day they met._

_He took a deep breath, before taking his hands out of his pockets and gripping hers softly. Getting down on one knee, he looked up at her, her expression confused for mere seconds before she sobbed, close to breaking down._

"_Sydney, I love you so much. The first day we met, at the hockey arena, I think I knew from then that I wanted to be with you. Of course, someone as beautiful as you, I had to wait. But I would've waited forever for you. I still remember your face that week before Homecoming, and when you told me that you had a date. I was crushed, but I recovered, and from then on, I knew I wouldn't let you go. Now, I never want to go...So, Sydney Bristow, will you make me the happiest guy alive on earth and marry me?"_

_This point she was in tears, and in seconds she was in his arms, kissing him deeply. She only broke the kiss to let out a short 'Yes' before crashing her lips back to his again._

He snapped out of his thoughts when he saw his mother, Amelie, step into the tent with a smile on her face.

"Mom! You said you weren't going to be able to make it in!" He cried out, running over to his mother and giving her a large hug.

She let out a hearty laugh and hugged him back. "Like I would miss my son's wedding? _Never_."

"Oh, so you were planning on coming this whole time?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting like he would do when he was a little kid.

"Yes," She said sternly, before grinning. "I had a little help from your fiancée, too."

"Oh, so you two are already making plans behind my back, I see," He said, letting out a little snicker at how sly his mom was.

"Yo, Mike," Eric said, interrupting the two. "I think we have to get out there," He looked towards Amelie. "Hi there, Amelie! Vaughn said you weren't even coming."

"She surprises," He said through a grin and gave his mom another hug.

"I'll see you out there," She said, giving him a kiss on the cheek before going out of the tent, giving Eric a pat on the shoulder on the way out.

"You ready?"

"As much as I can be."

And the two friends headed out of the tent, to the front where the priest stood.

He stood there, in the sand, the wind blowing lightly; just enough to cool off his heated skin. Waiting one minute, which seemed like an eternity, the bridesmaids began to come out. First, Sydney's friends from high school and on came out, Aryn and Angie, followed by Lauren and Francie. Nadia came out last, being the Maid of Honor.

Sydney finally showed under the flower bridge of the beginning of the sand aisle. She looked absolutely stunning, a pure white dress hugging every one of her curves. The hem flared, going off into a train that went two feet. Her hair done half up, half down, all curled, some of her bangs hanging over her face. She took a deep breath, before heading down the middle, her next breath caught her throat when she saw him, looking so simple but so handsome. She almost giggled seeing how nervous he was, shifting his body weight on either foot of each passing second, and playing with his hands. Finally reaching the makeshift mound of sand where the altar was, her hands and eyes linked with his.

They both couldn't believe it, each getting married to the person they loved more than anything.

**xxxxxxx**

Michael Vaughn's eyes sprang open as he shot up into a sitting position. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he looked around the room. It wasn't his bedroom adorned with hockey memorabilia; hell, it wasn't even his house. Then he finally remembered as he looked at the coffee table out to the side, a Monopoly game laying on the surface. He felt some movement, and looking down to his left, he saw Sydney, sleeping peacefully under the covers. Now his eyes bugged out, until he could finally remember what had happened the night before.

Having the group of six over at Sydney's house, they opted to play a game of friendly Monopoly. 'Friendly' meaning cussing at each other every few seconds due to the mixers that Eric had provided. It was down to him and Sydney, and the other four decided to go upstairs and get some sleep. After a half an hour, the game had finally ended, Sydney winning out, and they put the Monopoly game, which was being played on the couch bed, on the coffee table, and fell asleep within moments.

But he was trying to figure something else out...Why in the hell would he be dreaming of marrying Sydney Bristow?

Scratching his forehead, Michael got out of the bed, almost falling because he was wearing track pants, and headed into the kitchen. He made himself a bowl of cereal, and sat down at the breakfast bar, eating slowly as he tried to collect his thoughts about the dream.

'Okay, I'm in high school. I'm not even eighteen. I like Sydney, a lot, heck; it wouldn't be a bad thing marrying her.'

He shook his head, his eyebrows bunched up as a headache started to pound away.

'And we've slept in the same bed, twice. Good gosh, her dad would fricking kill me if he ever figured out.'

He took a large amount of cereal on his spoon to rid himself of that thought, and then jumped as someone sat on the seat next to his.

"Pass the cereal?" Sydney asked with a smile. He looked at her, his face flushed as he slid the cereal, milk, and a bowl to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just this headache, I think he put something else in mine."

She laughed the sweet laugh that melted away his pain, only if it was for a couple of seconds. "Eric always does that, puts something special in the drinks that has you out cold and think that you'll wake up in a different country."

"Are you serious?" He couldn't help but to laugh at her explanation.

Her laughing continued. "Yeah, when I woke up one morning after having about four of his drinks, I thought I was in some kind of cellar. I was actually in his basement."

"Well then, I hope I don't end up chained to some fence along the highway."

She choked at his reply, busting out into laughter again. "I don't think the effects can be _that_ extreme."

"If it happens, you owe me one million," He said, a smirk showing as he looked at her.

"Deal, but if you do it on purpose, people will think you were standing in the middle of a destruction derby."

"Alright," He smiled hesitantly, before going back to eating his food. They went into a silence, before he decided to break it. "Syd?"

"Yeah?" She answered, turning her head towards him.

He swallowed at a lump in his throat, garnering up his courage quickly. "You want to go to the movies tonight?"

"Sure," She smiled, making him instantly relax. "Do you want me to ask everyone else?"

He stiffened up again, his body language nearly giving it away. "Uh, no, please...Just the two of us."

**xxxxxxx**

"So he asked you out?"

"Yes!"

"And you said yes?"

"Yes."

"And you're going to the movies."

"YES FRAN!" Sydney shouted, having enough. She was already getting a headache over what to wear. It was an hour until her 'date' with Vaughn and she had found nothing to wear so far. Standing in her robe, she glared at the drawer in front of her, which held her skirts and shorts.

"Don't get all touchy over the subject, it's just a date," Francie said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Ugh, did I mention how much I hate you?"

"Love you too, Syd."

Sydney couldn't help but to laugh, and spotted a denim skirt. "Perfect! Now I just need to find a damn shirt."

"Just a sec," Francie said, jumping off of the bed and running out of the room. Sydney took the time to put on a pair of bra and panties, and the denim skirt. She began looking through the closet at her shirts when Francie came back in, holding a shirt. It read 'I Feel' at the top with a shamrock below it, signifying 'Lucky'. Sydney laughed when looking at the shirt.

"You know what to bring, don't you?" She asked, taking the shirt and putting it on when Francie offered.

"To a friend that's in need of some Michael, yes, I do."

Sydney blushed, turning away and smiling at Francie's words. "Go bug Nadia; I've got to get ready."

"Whatever you say," Francie said with a smirk, walking out of the room.

**xxxxxxx**

She stood by the door, then began to pace around the hallway. She shouldn't have been this nervous about going out with Vaughn, but she knew that it would be a date, not just some casual time spent out at a baseball game. She looked at herself in the mirror, smoothing out some invisible wrinkles on her attire before she heard knocking at the door. She took in a deep breath before taking the few steps to the door and opening it, seeing Michael standing there looking absolutely gorgeous.

"Hey, Syd," He cracked out, trying to gather his words. "Ready?"

She nodded, her lips curling into a smile as she stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind her. She walked behind him as he walked over to his truck, towards the passenger side and opening the door for her. "Now, why can't we take my car?" She asked as she showed a cheesy grin.

He let out a hearty laugh, shaking his head as he made the way to the driver's side of the truck and got in. "Because, I'm driving, and my truck is cooler."

"No way," She joked as he drove away from the house. "So what movie are we going to see?"

"I was thinking Star Wars," He began before she cut him off.

"Good choice!" She smiled once again.

"Seriously? You being into Star Wars?" Michael couldn't help but to let out a laugh, earning an icy glare from Sydney.

"What's so wrong with that?"

"Just thinking that you would be into all of the chick flicks."

"Oh, I am, and one day, I'm going to strap you to a chair and make you watch every one of them."

He smirked, and decided he wanted to play the same game with her that she did with him a few days ago. "Strap me to a chair, huh? What _else_ would you do?"

That had her attention, and being in a daze for a few seconds before she caught onto his play. "Well, lets see I can strip you down and pour whipped cream and chocolate all over you," She stopped, seeing his eyes nearly bug out of their sockets as his hands began to tightly grip the steering wheel, trying hard to keep his attention on the road. "I'll leave the rest to myself."

"Um, y-yeah," He stuttered, now knowing she had picked up on his little game. He let out a defeated sigh, his grip loosening on the steering wheel so he could actually feel his fingers again. "You win."

"Always do," She said happily, looking ahead at the movie theater they were approaching. They were silent as he drove through the parking lot, except for the occasional quiet curses he let out for not being able to find any good parking spot. She couldn't help but to giggle at how mad he was at not being able to find one, until a car finally pulled out. He was eager and quickly parked the truck in the spot.

They got out of the truck, and saw the line to get tickets for the theater was long. They decided to get in line quickly before it would get any longer.

He deiced to break the silence first. "Whipped cream and chocolate?"

"Yeah, anything else would probably be too messy or not as good," She answered immediately, smirking as she saw his face turn a shade of red. 'Of course, anything would be good on _you_,' Her thoughts added in.

They stood at one of the ticket windows about five minutes later, and Michael got the tickets for the next Star Wars showing, insisting he'd pay for them, even though Sydney tried to pay for her ticket.

"Alright, now, what do you want to eat?" He asked as they walked through the main lobby, over to the concession stand and waited in line.

"Popcorn and a soda," She said after looking at the menu.

"You don't mind sharing the popcorn, do you?" He asked, looking from the menu to her.

"Just as long as you don't eat all of it," She replied with a smile warming her features.

"Oh, well then, two popcorns," He joked as they made it to the front, and he ordered two Pepsis and a jumbo popcorn. Once again Sydney tried to pay for anything, but he told her to just let him pay.

He had a hard enough time trying to pay attention to what was happening during the movie. Luckily, he knew what happened, seeing it with some hockey friends earlier in the week. The only things going in his mind were Sydney, and the interesting conversation in the truck. Of course she was joking when she talked about the whipped cream and chocolate, but now he wished she wasn't. Finally being able to rip himself from his thoughts, he watched the movie, smiling to himself when he felt Sydney lay her head on his shoulder.

"That was great!" She yelled happily once they were back in his truck, heading to her house.

"Yeah, but didn't you fall asleep on me?" He asked with a laugh.

She blushed, biting her lip as she tried to think of a response. "Well, no, but I couldn't see the movie well enough and I thought that your shoulder would be comfy," She rambled.

"Uh huh," He mumbled, smirking when she looked at him.

They talked about the movie the rest of the way to Sydney's house. When they arrived, Michael helped her out and they walked to the front porch. She turned to him, now seeing how nervous he became in a few moments.

"So, I guess I'll see you at school," He said, his hands digging into his pockets as he looked at her.

She could only look at him for a few seconds, her expression unreadable until she smiled, one that made him smile. "Vaughn?"

"Yeah?"

Her hands wrapped around his neck as she pulled him to her, her lips pressing to his into a long kiss.

"You better be taking me to the playoffs."

His lips turned into a smile. "I was going to ask you soon, but yeah, you'll be going," He said, before kissing her once again.

Inside, Nadia and Francie giving each other a high-five before walking back to the couch. "Finally!" They both shouted at the same time.


	14. Chapter 14

**SD-Luvalias**: Welcome! And nope, this story is nowhere near done (yet :P).

And everyone, thanks so much for the feedback from the last chapter! It was amazing:) Now things are _really _going to start getting interesting.

* * *

Sydney sat anxious at the breakfast bar. Tonight was Game 3 of the Dodgers versus the Cardinals, and she was going with Michael, like he'd promised after their kiss. Since then, they spent every moment together. After school he'd be over at her house working on homework that lasted well into the evening.

"Sydney."

Irina snapped Sydney out of her thoughts, and she looked up to smile at her mother. "Hey mom, what's up?"

"I don't think you will be going to the game tonight. Thunderstorms are supposed to be hitting be game time," Irina said as she filled a large bowl full of water.

"I was beginning to guess that," Sydney said as she looked outside, where clouds were already beginning to form. "You don't mind if Vaughn comes over, do you?"

"Oh no, but I might be gone for a little bit. Call him and tell him to come over now, I'm making spaghetti."

"You rock, mom," Sydney said with a smile as she jumped off the stool, going up to her room to get her cell phone. She called Michael immediately, and he picked answered within seconds.

"Sydney, it's official. You have great time," He said, taking a deep breath. "Well, maybe, hockey practice _just_ ended."

"Well that's good, because my mom's making spaghetti for dinner, and she wants you to come over."

"I'll be right over then!" He said, grinning from ear to ear as he quickly changed into his normal clothes. "Oh, Syd, I don't think the game will be on tonight."

"I've heard, and don't worry about it. Movie night sounds like a good idea."

"Movies with you, oh yeah! Hey, does your mom mind if I take a shower over at your place?"

"Let me ask," Sydney said, placing her hand over the receiver and yelled down to ask her mom. "Yep, just as long as I don't somehow sneak in and join you," She added in with a seductive tone.

"You know how much I'll like that," He said in a playful tone. "Anyway, looks like it's beginning to rain. I'll be at your house in a bit."

"Alright, see you later."

"See you." He said, and hung up his phone.

Sydney went skipping down the stairs to see that it was beginning to pour. She looked into the living room to see her mom standing by the television, watching the news, the weather part of it playing. "So what does it look like, mom?"

"They said it's supposed to rain all through the night, probably into tomorrow," Irina said as she came back into the kitchen.

"Oh man, this is going to suck if it rains during practice tomorrow," Sydney said as she sat back down onto the stool, grabbing a cookbook that was off to the side and started to absentmindedly look through it.

Irina looked at her daughter, concerned. "Sydney, what's the matter?"

"Oh, it's just that I was really looking forward to the game tonight with Vaughn."

"Hey, you'll still be able to see it," Irina said with a smile on her face.

"Yeah," Sydney mumbled, looking up before she smiled. "Have I ever told you about the seats?" She began, her face lightening up. "They're like, perfect. Wait, more than perfect. Two rows behind home base."

"I saw," Irina grinned. "That game that you and Michael went to, I decided to watch at the fifth inning."

Sydney's cheeks flushed, becoming fully aware when she decided to watch. Thinking back to that night, she couldn't help but to sigh happily at the memory.

"You know, that Dodger crowd can be quite rowdy," She said, snapping Sydney out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Sydney grinned once again, thinking of how Michael helped her out with the pathetic drunk. She got so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the knocking, and someone peeking through the door.

"Can I come in? It's like, really pouring out here," Michael said as he showed his head through the door.

"Sure!" Irina yelled, and Michael came bursting in, shutting the door before the rain could come in. He walked in, soaking wet, a cheeky grin on his face.

"I think the rain took care of that shower for me."

"Vaughn..." Sydney warned as he approached. "Don't, even," He decided to take his chances and enveloped her into a large hug.

Besides the shriek that came from Sydney, Michael mouthed 'Upstairs?' to Irina, meaning the shower, in which she nodded. He let go of Sydney, the smile still playing on his face, as he went upstairs and to the guest bathroom.

"He just _had_ to do that," Sydney said through gritted teeth as she looked down at her clothes, then up to her mom who was smiling and trying not to laugh.

**xxxxxxx**

"Alright, you two, I'll be back in about two hours," Irina said as she put on her jacket.

Sydney looked at the clock, it was six o'clock and a little while after dinner was eaten. "Alright, mom, see you later."

"Have fun," Irina said, grabbing her keys and heading out the door.

Sydney looked to Michael, a sparkle in her eyes, before she laughed and walked over to the large shelf filled with DVDs. "Okay, I don't have a chair that I can strap you to, but let's see," She started searching through her collection, looking for one that would irritate him. Her eyes searched, and she found a perfect one: Grease. She put the DVD in, her back turned to him so he couldn't see, and took a seat next to him.

"What'd you put in?"

"You'll see," She said with a smile, grabbing the remote and started the movie. Once he saw what it was, he let out a large groan.

"Grease? Syd, please, I've put up through enough torture having to watch this with my mom and sisters," He begged, pulling her into his arms and kissing her forehead.

"No matter how much you try to flatter me, Vaughn, the movie stays in."

"Fine," He pouted, and felt her head resting gently against his chest. Despite the agony he was going to have to go through with the movie, he smiled.

Three hours and another movie later, Sydney struggled to keep her eyes open. Besides that she was tired from the school day, the rain always had a calming effect on her. Also that she was in Michael's arms, his scent bliss to her.

"Vaughn?"

"Yeah?" He mumbled out, opening his eyes to look into hers.

"Didn't my mom say she'd be home in two hours?"

"Uh huh, but maybe she's having fun."

"Yeah, she deserves it," Sydney mumbled, as she began flipping through channels, deciding to keep it on CSI.

"Sydney!" Nadia yelled, running through the hall to the living room, with Eric, Will, and Francie behind her. It was an hour later and they had come home from the movies. "Have you heard from mom?"

"No, why?" Sydney asked, bolting upright at Nadia's sudden appearance.

"Traffic was horrible, the storm and all of that passing through. Mom said she'd be home around 8 or so," Nadia said, and walked over to the chair, sitting down and running her hands through her hair. "I've called her phone at least ten times, she hasn't picked up."

"Maybe it's the storm, messing with the signals," Michael said as he sat upright.

"I'm going to call dad," Sydney said as she walked over to the phone, picking it up to call her father. After a short conversation, Jack didn't have any clue on where she could be.

"We would like to interrupt with some breaking news," All of the heads whipped around to look at the television screen. "There has been an accident on the highway this evening. One casualty has been reported. Reporters are at the scene right now."

"Thank you, Diane. As it is known, traffic has been miserable with the storm that has been going on since about six o'clock. Conditions have just gotten worse, and there was an accident involving an eighteen wheeler and a black sedan. The semi truck's brakes failed, and went into the back on the sedan. The woman of the sedan died on impact, the driver of the semi truck was taken to a nearby hospital." The reporter informed, and a picture of the sedan showed on the screen.

Everyone became transfixed, nobody making a sound as the news continued.

"So we remind you all, please be safe while being on the highway."

"Thank you and this is a terrible thing that has happened," The anchor said, and then stopped. "More news has just come in, we now have identity of the woman driving the sedan. Her name is Irina Derevko from Los Angeles."

Sydney and Nadia went numb, and the phone began to ring. No one made the attempt to move after the first two, before Will walked over to get it. After a few seconds, he walked over to Sydney.

"Syd, it's your dad."

She finally tore her eyes away from the picture of her mother they had on the screen. Grabbing the phone, she placed it to her ear. "Dad?"

"Sydney, your mother..."

"I know."

It was then she placed the phone on the table, and began to cry. Silent tears came from everyone in the room.

"So we would like to pay our respects to the family and friends of Irina Derevko."


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I'm mean..Yep. But right now I'm completely hyper (Thanks, Pepsi Co!) and my football guys are going for the big 3-0 tonight. And because I wrote like a mad dog yesterday. Yeah, but besides that...I think it's been long enough.

* * *

She had no idea how to deal with the thoughts that were running through her mind.

Her mother...was dead.

The scene of the news played over at least a million times in her head, and kept her from her dreams, which instead turned into nightmares. She couldn't sleep, so she did what she could in the middle of the night: read her first edition Alice in Wonderland book that her mother bought.

Her father had called after the news to school, requesting that the sisters take the rest of the week off to cope. Francie, Will, Eric, and Michael did not show up for classes the next morning.

She couldn't even read anymore, having read the book six times through the night. The words became a blur. She looked over at her nightstand and to her clock; it read 9:00 A.M.

She sighed, only figuring out one way to clear her thoughts, running.

After five miles she finally decided to stop, taking in the steady drizzle as she sat on a bench. She looked at her surroundings, seeing only a couple of people walking.

If only they had the slightest _clue_ what she was going through, the pain she didn't want to express. She wanted to be tough, for her mother. Not once had she ever seen her break down, even during times of the divorce.

Sydney got back up, not wanting the tears to escape, and began to sprint again. She stopped at an intersection that connected to the highway. Waiting for the signal, she looked around, and then stood there, stunned. She looked at median that began, seeing black pieces of medal and window shards. Her body began to shudder with sobs as she broke down, walking over to a wall and leaning against it, beginning to cry uncontrollably.

"Miss, are you okay?"

She sobered up as quickly as she could when she heard the question. Pushing herself off the wall, she looked at the man and tried her hardest to force a smile. "I-I'm fine, I just was thinking."

"Are you sure?" He asked, and then looked at her wet appearance. "Do you need to come inside my store and dry off?"

"No, its okay," She said, taking in a deep breath as she tried to control her composure. "I was just heading home."

"Okay, be safe, conditions aren't going to get any better," He said with a comforting smile on his face.

"Thanks," She said through the forced smile, walking past the man. Thankfully, the signal to walk across the intersection was on, and she walked briskly, making sure not to even glance at the spot. Once she went into a full sprint, she let herself begin to cry, again.

**xxxxxxx**

"Dad, I'm not moving."

"Sydney, you're not staying here!" Jack said in an angry tone. "You and your sister cannot stay alone, especially with all of these expenses."

Sydney narrowed her eyes. "Yes, we can, dad. I'm going to start working."

"Working now is not going to help."

She glared at him, then thought back to a conversation between her and her mother when she just started high school.

"_Sydney, would you come here for a second?" Irina asked from her study._

_Sydney got up from doing her homework, walking into her mother's study to seeing her writing away on a piece of paper._

_Seeing Sydney, Irina smiled. "Sit, please." At this, Sydney took a seat on the opposite side of the table. "Sydney, I want to tell you very important," The nod that came from her daughter urged her to continue. "If anything ever happens to me, I want you to take this," She said, sliding the paper that she finished up writing over to Sydney._

"_What's this, mom?" She asked, looking at the numbers, names, and such written on the piece._

"_It's an account, made specifically for you and your sister. If anything ever happens to me, I want you to have it. Use it on whatever you need to, student loans, a car, jewelry."_

"_But mom..." Sydney trailed off as she read the paper. Her eyes got wide when she saw the amount. "Two-two...Million?"_

"_Yes," Irina smiled warmly. "Now Sydney, this is our secret. And if I ever found out you used that, you'll be in trouble," She smirked._

"_But if something happens to you?" Sydney asked, looking up from the paper to her mother._

"_Hush, hush, just as a precaution. You'll probably have grey hair when that happens," She grinned._

She gulped, now knowing exactly what that money would be used for. "Dad, I'm going to support Nadia and myself."

"That's nonsense!" He yelled out, grabbing his cell phone. "Now I'm going to call and get a nanny."

"We don't need babysitters!" Sydney lashed out, making Jack hang up the phone. "Dad, just leave!" She yelled out once again, before crying and looking down.

Seeing his daughter like this, he didn't even know what to think. Then thinking back to what Irina had told him one day, all suddenly fit into pieces. "Sydney, okay, but just calm down. If you need me, just call," He said, and left.

"Nadia!" Sydney yelled upstairs to her sister. In a matter of moments, Nadia was down the stairs, looking at her sister. "Come on, we're going to the bank."

It was time for Sydney to be strong, for her and her sister.

**xxxxxxx**

They told the sisters that the casket would be closed, because of the damage done to their mother's body. Both thought it was best, not even thinking they could stand next to the casket all day seeing their mother's body covered in scars.

But they stood, as proud as they could, all through the day at the wake at the funeral home. Dozens of people came, and they both lost track, knowing at the middle of the day that more than two hundred people had already come to show their respects. Sydney didn't even know half of these people, but she smiled as best as she could as the strangers paid their condolences. Eric, Francie, and Will were already there most of the day, deciding to leave for a short while when hunger was calling.

Many people stopped by which pleased, but also pissed Sydney off. One was Arvin Sloane, and even though she tried to remain calm for her sister, her blood was boiling at the sight of the man her mother had an affair with. When he decided to place a 'comforting' hand on her shoulder, she nearly lost it, until looking at Nadia's sympathetic gaze.

Two of Sydney's teachers also stopped by to pay their respects: Mr. Dixon and his family, in which she was on the verge of tears when she gave the large man a hug. She didn't know why, but could tell that whenever she would need someone to talk to in the future, Dixon would be there for her.

Also, Mr. Lennox stopped by, telling Sydney that she didn't have to return to Cross Country at all if she didn't want to. But the thing that Jim Lennox did not know that running was Sydney's escape, and after smiling through a strained sob, she told him she'd be back as soon as possible, not wanting to let her team down.

Only one person hadn't come the afternoon that was turning into the evening hours, and that was Michael Vaughn. Sydney couldn't help to check the entrance to the room at least every minute to see if he would come through. Finally, the moment came, an hour before the wake would end. She didn't even notice him as the line was getting longer and she was preoccupied. Finally, when it was his turn, he took the chance first to hug Nadia since Sydney was busy talking to another person.

When Sydney finished, she had to hold in another sob as she looked over to the entrance one more time, before looking down at the floor.

"Sydney," He whispered quietly, as if not to break her from the chance.

"Vaughn?" She sobbed once again as she said his name, looking up and deep into his green eyes. There was a moment's silence between the two before Sydney couldn't take it anymore and wrapped her arms around Vaughn's neck, finally letting the tears go that she had been holding in all day. He whispered into her ear, quietly calming her down as his hand sent smooth strokes up and down her back.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't be here earlier," He said in the hushed tone once they finally broke away.

"It's okay," She said, looking over to her sister, who had tears streaming down her cheeks. Looking back to Vaughn, she grabbed his hands and ran her thumbs across the back of his hands.

An hour had passed, and Vaughn never left her side; he either had his arm wrapped around her waist or he grasped her hand with his, making sure she knew that he was by her side.

They walked out onto the parking lot together, Michael agreeing to take her home once she finally admitted that she needed the company.

"Vaughn, I don't think I can do this."

"Do what?" He asked softly as they made their way to her house.

"I don't think I can live without my mother."


	16. Chapter 16

_It is like October is giving me everything that I want, and also taking everything away from me._

Sydney sat on her bed as she read what she just wrote in her notebook. October had been her version of heaven and hell wrapped up in a few weeks.

And through all of it, Michael Vaughn had been her savior. Whenever she needed someone to talk to or just to be with her, he would be at her side in a heartbeat.

But right now was her time to be alone. She wished for these times a lot now, times where she could just think back and think of the good memories. It was times like these when she said a little prayer that she could hopefully be as good as her mother someday.

"Hey Syd."

She looked up right after a single tear slowly slid down her face to see Vaughn standing in her doorway, takeout in hand. Once he saw her look, he set the takeout on a dresser and walked over to her bed and sat on the edge.

"Brought you some food, but if you want to be alone-"

The growl of her stomach cut him off. She let out a small laugh and an equally small smile. "Guess you got your answer."

"Guess so," He said, bringing his hand up and wiping away the lone tear on her chin. He got up and retrieved the food, bringing it back to her bed. "Hope you don't mind tacos."

"Anything sounds good right now."

"Good," He reached into the bag, grabbing some tacos and giving them to Sydney, then grabbing some for himself. "Nadia and Francie say that I've got balls of steel for even being up here with you."

She let out a laugh at his words, causing herself to nearly choke on her tacos and bust out into more laughing.

"Ah ha now!" He couldn't help but to grin as she fell back onto the bed from laughter. "Glad to see that smile," He spoke quietly as he lay down opposite of her.

"Me too," She mumbled out when her laughter finally died down.

"You know," He started as he secured her right hand and intertwined their fingers. "I'll always be here for you."

**xxxxxxx**

"Why now?" The woman spat out as she glared at the man pacing in front of her.

"Why now? Because we need you right now. You remember the deal before you left, if we needed you, we would extract you immediately."

The woman felt her eyes start to well up despite the fact that her face maintained seriousness. "You could've given me time."

"That was not part of the deal."

Instead, she happened to growl. "Screw deals. I have a life, I have a family..."

"You _had_ a life, you _had_ a family. Now if you don't shut up, your precious family will be gone."

The woman glared but remained silent after the words.

"Good," The man smirked; stroking his chin as he finally stopped his slow walking and sat on the edge of the steel table. "Now, about that business."

**xxxxxxx**

Francie ran around her house like a woman who was about to kill someone. She was the party organizer, and every time she had a party, whether it was small or big, she would turn into a tyrant.

Now Nadia, Sydney, Will, Eric, and Michael were feeling the effects. They had agreed, unwillingly, to help Francie set up for her annual Halloween bash. It was two days before Halloween and the party and Francie wanted to make sure that every little detail was perfect.

Her costume was another story. After Sydney had finally come out of her shell, Francie dragged her and Nadia to the costume shop in the mall for some impromptu costume shopping. Only Nadia had succeeded in finding a costume that day, leaving Francie to design her own and Sydney to search around for some more.

Now Francie had locked herself in her room and left everyone to the decorating.

"Francie," Sydney yelled at Francie's door as she knocked on it. The door suddenly opened to a frazzled Francie with pins clenched in her teeth and holding fabric in her hands. "You almost done?"

Francie grabbed the pins from her mouth and glared at her best friend. "What do you think?"

"Right," Sydney mumbled, smirking at her friend's state. Sydney was about to start talking when Francie cut her off.

"Yes, I know, deep breath," Francie said, taking a deep breath, and then showing a smile. "So how about your outfit?"

"I got something that will knock Vaughn's socks off."

Francie could tell by the mischievous glint in Sydney's eyes that her friend was up to something. Her lips turned into a grin as she tried to suppress a laugh. "Sydney Bristow, what are you up to?"

"The party is in a couple of hours, you'll be the first one to see."

At this, Francie shrieked and slammed the door shut, muffling an 'I've got to get to work!' Sydney could hear fabric tearing, cutting, and other various things before she went into the kitchen to see Will and Michael working on pouring candy corn and other candies into large bowls.

"Where are Nadia and Eric?"

"Somewhere around here, I think they're trying to get that list done," Michael said with his mouth full of popcorn.

"Dude, we need to save some of that!" Will said as he tried to snatch the popcorn bowl away.

Sydney laughed as she walked away from the two guys who continued to argue over the popcorn. She found Nadia and Eric outside the house putting up decorations.

"Hey guys, I'm gonna head off. You want me to get your suit?" Sydney asked to Nadia.

"Please! I'm going to be stuck here with him, and Francie won't let us loose!" Nadia yelled back before she was carted off inside by Eric. "Thanks!"

Sydney took off from Francie's house. For the first time in a couple of weeks, she was going to have a blast.

**xxxxxxx**

"Gosh! The party starts soon!"

"And the guys are waiting out there!"

"I know!"

"Already!"

The three girls stood in Francie's bathroom putting on their finishing touches to their costumes.

Francie somehow thought of a costume during the morning, deciding she was going to be totally unique, and have a bunch of fun. She had on a black v-top tank top along with black pants, with white blobs of cotton all over her body. If anyone asked who she was, she had a water gun ready to use. Then, hopefully, a giggly response would come after an annoyed look from the soaked recipient, "Partly cloudy with a chance of showers!"

Nadia was dressed in a gold suit, her hair done straight with dark makeup on, dressing up as a salsa dancer. She knew that Eric would definitely like her _costume_.

Sydney had decided to be the daring one of the group. When she shopped on her own she found a costume that would make Michael's, and just about every other guys in the room's mouth drop. The black and red French maid's suit fit her perfectly, and she smirked at the fact.

"So you think Michael's gonna die when he sees you're wearing that?" Francie asked as she looked at Sydney through the mirror.

"Let's hope not," Sydney said with a laugh and finished her eyeliner, grinning at how she looked.

"I love Halloween," Nadia said as she looked at the two.

"Oh yeah."

All three left the bathroom, with Nadia going out of the bedroom first. Francie followed, picking up her water gun along the way, and Sydney came out last, carrying a tray, because she would also be the waiter for the night. They walked into the living room to see the three boys sitting on the couch, watching the television and in their costumes. Francie faked coughed to get their attention, all the three guy's stood up and turned around, showing off their costumes and their shocked reactions to their girlfriend's costumes.

Will was dressed as Crocodile Dundee, the khaki shorts way too tight and looking hysterical on him. He had on the knee high socks along with the big boots and hat.

When the girls saw Eric, they tried their hardest to maintain their straight, serious faces. He was dressed in a grass hula skirt and a matching coconut bra with the grass bands at the arms and ankles.

Sydney finally got a good look at Michael, who was dressed sharply in a mobster's suit, along with the black rimmed hat and sunglasses. She could see that his jaw did drop at her own attire, and a smirk formed on her face once again.

"Aloha ladies," Weiss said as he showed a cheeky grin. "Ready to party?"

An hour later and Francie's house was filled with people, all in costumes. Francie put Sydney to work, making sure that people ate and that none of the food would be left. The French maid was busy, of course, but she always made sure to keep an eye on her mobster who was always walking around and talking to people.

Finally, thirty minutes later, after serving out pizzas, she set down an empty box and pulled Vaughn outside and into the backyard without warning. Before he could let out a word, she grabbed his coat jacket and pulled him closer to kiss him. He didn't refuse, keeping it going until they both needed air.

"You know, you don't look so bad, Mr. Vaughn," Sydney said in her best mobster voice.

He smirked, wrapping both of his arms around her waist. "You look pretty nice yourself, Miss Bristow," He replied in the same tone. "So, how's your night been, Syd?"

"Good, now even better since I've got a br-"

"Hey Sydney!" Francie interrupted as she came outside. "People are a bit hungry, you know."

"I'll get right on it," Sydney said, sending a glare in Francie's direction as Francie went back inside. Sydney looked at Michael, who was showing a smile. "Duty calls," She winked, giving him a small peck and trying to break free from his arms, but he wouldn't budge.

"She can wait a couple more seconds," He said, pressing his lips into hers. She responded back immediately, and soon their tongues were in each other's mouths.

She ended the kiss too soon for his liking, and left him out in the backyard as she went back to 'work', looking back before she went inside to send a challenging grin his way.

**xxxxxxx**

"I think I might wear this to school," Eric said with a hint of giddiness in his voice. The party had ended and the usual six sat around in the living room, still dressed in their costumes and eating away at the last of the food.

Nadia's eyes bugged out at his proclamation, and she nearly choked on the piece of pizza in her mouth. A muffled 'You better not!' came out, but she had to try to not laugh.

"I wouldn't mind," Vaughn said as he loosened his tie and sat back, placing one foot on the coffee table and an arm around Sydney.

"Yeah, good for you," Will mumbled as he squirmed around on the couch. The shorts were definitely giving him problems now, and Francie was getting red after laughing so hard. "Screw it! I'm changing!" He growled, standing up and stomping out of the room.

The rest busted out into laughter after he left.

"Now that Crocodile Drama-Dee has left the room, who talked him into wearing that?" Sydney asked once the laughter subsided.

"Well, they did fit well, until I decided to put the shorts into the wash, a lot," Francie added in with glee.

"You did what!" Will shouted from one of the guest bedrooms.

"Nothing, sweetheart," Francie said while smirking at the others.

Sydney yawned, resting her body against Michael's as she kicked her high heels off. "Those are evil," She commented while growling.

"Tell me about it, you weren't dancing all night, fulfilling your boyfriend's fantasies," Nadia scoffed as she playfully smacked Weiss on the chest.

"I think I might keep that water gun handy," Francie said as Will came back into the room, a towel in his hand as he started to dry off his hair. After seeing the look on his face, she added in, "Definitely."


End file.
